Past champion Fichardt takes pole position at Qatar Masters

Darren Fichardt will take a one stroke lead into the final round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters as he seeks a second victory in Doha.

The South African, who won this event in 2003, carded a one under par 70 at Education City Golf Club in a round which included a double bogey and two further dropped shots as the field again battled howling winds in the Qatari capital.

The five-time European Tour winner recovered from dropping three shots in just two holes on the 13th and 14th, with birdies on the 16th and 17th, to record a seven under par total after three rounds, one stroke ahead of England’s Jack Senior, who carded a level par 71.

“When I started today I couldn’t get the pace right, the greens sped up significantly with the wind,” said Fichardt. “I was three-whacking like it was going out of fashion, on every green. Luckily I figured my swing out on the range before I teed off. I said to my wife to give ourselves opportunities and to try and get our first putt past the hole. When they started dropping I started to get a nice rhythm and a nice flow.

“Then I got to the par five 13 – that’s a hell of a par five, plus wind. I walked off there making a double and felt a bit out of sorts. I three-whacked the next green. I tried to gather my thoughts and realise it’s tough out there, everyone was struggling and to try and finish with a couple of pars coming home – luckily I got two birdies.”

India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar is third on five under par after a round of 68, while Frenchman Antoine Rozner made the biggest move on the leaderboard, rising 35 places after also recording a three under par round.

Gaganjeet Bhullar plays from a bunker on the 3rd during the third round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

 “I had a good start to the tournament, four under on day one was pretty solid,” said Bhullar. “Yesterday I hit the ball pretty good and gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities. I made a few silly mistakes in the beginning, but played well on the back nine. That was the time when the wind picked up. I had a feeling of confidence that I could play well in the wind.

“Today from the first hole it was gusting and howling pretty much the whole day. I hit the ball well and gave myself a lot of opportunities, I drove the ball okay and didn’t miss too many fairways. The main target was to keep the ball in play and make sure I was hitting a lot of my shots in regulation to stay in the game.”

Rozner shares fourth with Joachim B. Hansen of Denmark and Welshman Jamie Donaldson on four under par.

Share this article
What's in the bag
Swing Sequence

Drive It Like Rory McIlroy

By Jonathan Craddock, Peter Cowen Academy Dubai When it comes to...

Bryson DeChambeau’s Driver Swing

By Jonathan Craddock, Peter Cowen Academy Pro Bryson DeChambeau is one...

Related articles

6 hours ago

Meronk Leads Under the Lights in Riyadh

As play concluded beneath the floodlights at Riyadh Golf Club, the...
12 hours ago

LIV Golf Gets a Dress Code Makeover!

When LIV Golf launched in 2022, it set out to redefine...
14 hours ago

Preparing the Majlis Course for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic

Matthew Perry sheds light on the meticulous efforts that are made...