REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Portugal’s Ricardo Santos outshone the
star names in the first round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters with
a superb seven-under-par 65 today.
The 2012 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of
the Year leads by one at Doha Golf Club from Frenchman Alex Kaleka,
Englishman Anthony Wall and Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, while Simon Khan, the 2010 BMW PGA Champion, is one of six players a further shot back at five under.
World Number Four Justin Rose opened
with a four under par 68, which was matched by playing partner Martin
Kaymer. The third player in that group, World
Number Five Louis Oosthuizen, signed for a 71 after a double bogey at the final hole.
Santos, however, finished birdie-birdie to sit top of the pile at the end of a calm, warm day in Doha.
“I just played really well, especially
my short game,” said Santos, who became Portugal’s first home winner on
The European Tour when he claimed the 2012 Madeira Islands Open – Portugal. “My short game today was really amazing, especially the putts.
“It's really important for me and for
Portugal as well. We need to welcome more players and I think was really
important to play my first season on the main
Tour (in 2012) and win a tournament, especially in your home country.”
Rose’s day would have been better had
it not been for a one-shot penalty on the 17th green, applied for his
ball moving after he had grounded his putter.
“Unfortunately I was on the wrong end
of it, but that's the good thing about golf, you sort of self-police out
there and nobody else saw it in the group,” said the Englishman. “I knew that the ball had moved when I had addressed it.”
FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
65 R Santos (Por)
66 A Kaleka (Fra), P Whiteford (Sco), A Wall (Eng)
67 A Sullivan (Eng), B Rumford (Aus), M Wiegele (Aut), G Lockerbie (Eng), S Khan (Eng), C Wood (Eng)
68 A Hansen (Den), P Hanson (Swe), M
Kaymer (Ger), M Campbell (Nzl), J Rose (Eng); M Fraser (Aus), D Horsey
(Eng), T Olesen (Den), L Gagli (Ita), V Dubuisson (Fra), A Hartø (Den), D McGrane (Ire), R Green (Aus)
69 D Howell (Eng), S Webster (Eng), M
Warren (Sco), R Gonzalez (Arg), G Coetzee (RSA), M Manassero (Ita), J
Sjöholm (Swe), S Garcia (Esp), G Fernandez-Castaño (Esp); S Henry (Sco), G
Mulroy (RSA), F Aguilar (Chi)
70 F Zanotti (Par), T Lewis (Eng), H
Stenson (Swe), B Grace (RSA), J Kruger (RSA), B Wiesberger (Aut), G
Havret (Fra), P Casey (Eng), M Hoey (NIr), L Slattery (Eng), S
Chowrasia (Ind), T Jaidee (Tha)
71 C Lloyd (Eng); J Gonnet (Fra); G
Bourdy (Fra); R Cabrera-Bello (Esp); T Aiken (RSA); S Dyson (Eng); E
Molinari (Ita); P Meesawat (Tha); M Foster (Eng); A Noren (Swe); M
Ilonen (Fin); R Bland (Eng); C Cévaër (Fra); D Fichardt (RSA);
T Levet (Fra); E Goya (Arg); O Fisher (Eng); R Derksen (Ned); S
Wakefield (Eng); I Garrido (Esp); L Oosthuizen (RSA); J Dufner (USA)
72 J Parry (Eng); S Kjeldsen (Den); M
Lafeber (Ned); E Kofstad (Nor); C Doak (Sco); C Lee (Sco); A Cañizares
(Esp); T Fleetwood (Eng); H Otto (RSA); K Horne (RSA); J Walters (RSA);
R Wattel (Fra); T Björn (Den); D Drysdale (Sco); J Edfors
(Swe); S Gallacher (Sco); E Els (RSA); P Lawrie (Sco); G Maybin (Nir); J
Lara (Esp); J Singh (Ind); M Lundberg (Swe); P Lawrie (Irl); C
Montgomerie (Sco); M Siem (Ger); M Williams (am) (Eng)
73 P Price (Wal); N Fasth (Swe); P
Waring (Eng); M Baldwin (Eng), J Hansen (Den); A Tadini (Ita); A Dodt
(Aus); G Storm (Eng); T Hamilton (USA); K Broberg (Swe); R Jacquelin
(Fra); P McGinley (Irl)
74 R Goosen (RSA); R Finch (Eng); R Coles (Eng); J Campillo (Esp); S Jamieson (Sco); P Erofejeff (Fin)
75 F Andersson Hed (Swe); P Larrazábal (Esp); C Paisley (Eng); M Kieffer (Ger); D Foos (am) (Ger)
76 M Lampert (Ger); G Al Kuwari (am) (Qat)
77 J Busby (Eng); J Olazábal (Esp); E Grillo (Arg)
78 E Pepperell (Eng)
81 S Al Kaabi (am) (Qat)
83 J Thornton (Eng)
Labels: EUROPRO TOUR