Doha, UAE – Despite a few problems with his game, Ernie Els says he is really looking forward to teeing it up in this week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club.
Els, 47, remains upbeat despite missing the cut at last week's PGA event at Sentosa. "For me personally it hurt to miss the cut by one shot for the second week in succession. I love the course at Sentosa and it was in unbelievable condition, but it’s also a tricky golf course," Els said in a post on his website.
"It’s got some length and is sneakily long, so it’s not the easiest place to make birdies, especially as the greens are so huge. As in previous weeks and months, though, making birdies is not the problem for me. It is a few little mistakes here and there that are stopping the momentum.
"In fact, the physical aspects of my game are in good shape. I’m swinging the club nicely and hitting a lot of quality shots right through the bag. I’m rolling the ball nicely on the greens, as well. So I am looking forward to this week’s Qatar Masters at Doha. Sitting in the middle of the European Tour’s superb ‘Desert Swing’, this will be the 20th playing of this wonderful tournament, so that’s going to be quite special.
"My win here in 2005 was a while ago now, but this is my ninth appearance, and my fifth in succession, and I love this tournament. Also it’s a course that I feel very comfortable on and always enjoy the playing conditions.
"The weather is always nice and looks great for the week. We tend to get some windy conditions, especially in the afternoon, but at the moment it looks like it should be fairly light and consistently from the south-east all week.
"The wind doesn’t make it easy, but it makes it interesting and you have to adapt and really work your golf ball. If it’s calm, the course doesn’t play anything like as long as it looks on paper, so you have to make the most of that and try to get yourself on board the birdie-train.
"Last year I started this tournament hitting 18 greens in regulation for a stress-free, bogey-free 68. When you’re talking about momentum, as we were earlier in this report, that’s the kind of start you want," added Els.