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Hojgaard takes lead on first day of Qatar masters 2020

Hojgaard takes lead on first day of Qatar masters 2020

 

ARMSTRONG VAS

THE PENINSULA

Danish teenager Nicolai Hojgaard produced a remarkable run of scoring on the back nine to take a one-shot lead at the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Doha yesterday.

On the first day of the European Tour event, the 18-year-old, runner-up behind Sergio Garcia at the KLM Open last season, started with a seven-under 64 to hit the front at Education City Golf Club.

Hojgaard hit the turn in 35, then birdied seven of the next eight holes before a second bogey of a stunning opening round ensured he had to settle for the slenderest of advantage. “It was a good day,” said Højgaard.

“I started out slow, was playing really bad on the first four, five, six holes - I was still two under at that point but I was just playing it all over the place. My putter was just on fire today, that’s the difference.

“When I came to the back nine I was hitting fairways, hitting it close and rolling the putter. You just hit the button and you keep going. I was hitting the fairway, I was hitting greens, I was getting close on the par fives.

“My putter was just the difference today. I was playing okay with the long game but I was just holing everything. “The back nine is a bit more tricky off the tee so I would say it was more of a three wood on the back nine, I was hitting a lot of three woods and it was pretty good.”

Dutchman Joost Luiten was a shot back, one ahead of Spaniards Jorge Campillo and Carlos Pigem, Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli, Belgian Thomas Pieters, England’s Andy Sullivan and Dane Jeff Winther.

 “I am absolutely pleased. Seven birdies and one dropped shot, it wasn’t really needed that dropped shot coming out of the middle of the fairway but on a golf course like this where it is really tricky on and around the greens, I was out of position, so sometimes you just have to accept the bogey. All in all, I am happy with my game,” Luiten said.

“Yesterday and Tuesday were really bad (winds) so I didn’t do a lot of practise because you can ask yourself if it really helps if you hit into a 50 mile and hour wind on the range. So I tried to stay away from it and played the course, get to know it a bit better and it was beautiful today,” he added.

 “I think on the golf course if you are in the fairway you can be pretty aggressive to the undulated greens. I hit my irons and driver beautiful today which created a lot of chances and I rolled in a couple of putts,” Luiten said.

England’s Marcus Armitage made the first big move of the day, birdieing the second and third and then reeling off a hat-trick from the fifth to get to five under. Armitage, India’s S S P Chawrasia, Scottish pair David Drysdale and Scott Jamieson, South African D a r r e n F i c h a r d t , Frenchman Benjamin Hebert and South Korea’s Kyongjun Moon were three off the lead.

 

 

 

 

Former winner Pepperell disqualified after scoreboard blunder

ARMSTRONG VAS

THE PENINSULA

Former champion Eddie Pepperell’s hopes of collecting a second trophy in Qatar suffered a cruel blow at the Education City Golf Club course as he was disqualified from the European Tour event.

 

The 29-year-old, who did not take part in last year’s event, besides eyeing The Mother of the Pearl Trophy was aiming to climb back into the world’s top 50 in time to qualify for The Masters.

 

The winner of Qatar Masters in 2018, Pepperell was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard, erasing what was an opening-round 71, which was seven off the lead. A mix-up on his scorecard led to his second disqualification from a European Tour event in four months.

 

Pepperell took to Twitter to explain the bizarre situation that led to his disqualification “Quite disappointing as I actually took the time to change the original error, only to make a costlier one myself,”

 

Pepperell tweeted. “I asked the referee if this had any bearing on my disqualification but it didn’t. … The rules are the rules and I 100% accept that, but I can’t help feeling that this particular way of disqualification is a fair distance away from common sense, and that’s also disappointing. I enjoyed the course however and hopefully next time I’ll do a better job,” he said.

 

Pepperell is now struggling to get back in the world’s top 50 in time for The Masters Pepperell, who pulled out of last week’s Oman Open due to coronavirus fears, entered the week ranked 63rd in the world after an erratic start to 2020, missing the cut in South Africa and Abu Dhabi before bouncing back with a tie for 11th at the Dubai Desert Classic.

 

His hopes of making a second appearance at Augusta National next month are now in the balance, as Pepperell would need to be ranked in the world’s top 50 after the WGC Match Play, also an event he is now battling to qualify for. Pepperell’s disqualification in Qatar follows his bizarre early exit in Turkey last November, when he ran out of balls after losing “four or five” in the water at the fourth during the third round and was unable to complete the hole.

 

 

 

Kuznetsova eyes another tilt at the top

Kuznetsova eyes another tilt at the top

Two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova – a surprise semi-finalist at this year’s Qatar Total Open is seemingly ready for another tilt at a top-10 position, after a series of highs and lows over the past four years.

The Russian dropped to World No. 107 at the end of 2018 and further slipped to 198 last year after missing the Citi Open in Washington, courtesy of a delayed visa.

But a steady run since then has helped her crack the top-50 which she aims to improve further as the season progresses.

Kuznetsova, winner of the 2009 French Open and the 2004 US Open has not given up on adding another Grand Slam titles to her collection.

“Of course, why not?, the 34-year Russian said in response to a question as to whether she is aiming to win another Grand Slam title.

“They always told me I'm black horse, so I can still be black horse. I always been, when I won French, when I with won US Open, why not?, you never know” she added.

She said the level of the women tennis has gone up and she too has raised the bar.

“The level is tremendously high, I know I am capable of beating top 10 players, but I need to get better. I see things to improve, I already improved a lot from my past years. The level of the game raised a lot and it made me improve my game, because with the level I used to play, with the game strategy I couldn't be winning many matches now. Still, I need to get some things up, “

The World No. 46 Kuznetsova has appeared in four Grand Slam singles finals, winning two, and she has also appeared in seven doubles finals, winning twice. As a doubles player, Kuznetsova has reached the finals of each Grand Slam event at least once, winning the Australian Open twice.               

She said that the competition is very close in the tournaments then it was five or six years back.

“ I always said this, that now it's the level is raised a lot and it's very hard. Like sometimes I say it's no players who really kind of maintain their level, like no first round losses, there is not many players like that. But it's because that tennis is very high level for me right now and it's very competitive sport, we're getting better and better, so that's great for the game.

Born to an athletic family, Kuznetsova moved at the age of seven to Spain to attend the Sanchez-Casal Academy. In 2001, she first took part in a WTA tournament, the Madrid Open, and a year later won her first WTA title at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Helsinki, Finland. Her first appearance in a Grand Slam tournament was at the 2002 Australian Open and her first Grand Slam title came at the 2004 US Open over countrywoman Elena Dementieva, making her the third Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title, after Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova.

 

Qatar take first step to resuming football action with Coivd19 test on players and officials

Qatar take first step to resuming football action with Coivd19 test on players and officials

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The first step towards the resumption of football in Qatar was held on Monday and will continue on Tuesday wherein players and officials from 12 teams of the QNB Qatar Stars League (QSL) underwent Covid-19 tests under the supervision of Ministry of Public Health at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Stadium in Al Sadd.

The testing procedure aims to reduce and control the risk of virus spreading between team members and players, as they return to training and action. It follows all preventive and precautionary measures.

A number of players as well as technical and administrative staff underwent the tests on the first day. After completion of tests, they will return to their homes under self-quarantine until the test results come.

In the event of a positive case, he will undergo the procedures of Ministry of Public Health.

Ensuring the health and safety of players as well as technical and administrative staff is one of the most important priorities, Ahmed Khellil Abbassi, Executive Director of Competition and Football Development had said earlier.

"Players will return to training on June 10 following COVID-19 tests before undergoing another round of tests on June 24-25," Abbasi said.

According to Abbasi, the players will start training as a team from June 25 onwards, a month ahead of the resumption of the QSL as Week 18 action of the League kicks off on July 24

The players and team officials who test negative will then check into a team hotel on Wednesday. The first phase of the training will be held from Wednesday June 10 to June 24, with teams taking precautionary measures and maintaining social distancing. The second round of Covid-19 tests is scheduled for June 24 and 25, from when the teams will train in small groups until the restart of the league.

The protocol developed by the QSL is to reduce and control the risk of virus spreading between team members and players, as they return to training and action. It follows all preventive and precautionary measures, and a workshop was organised for all technical staff involved to explain the procedures for training during the first phase.

The QSL will resume on July 24 at the newly-completed Education City Stadium with Qatar Sports Club taking on Al Rayyan in the Round 18 fixture.

Education City Stadium, one of the venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, will play host to remaining five rounds of QNB Stars League along with two other arenas – Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium. All three stadiums possess the cooling technology, which will help the players cope with the searing temperatures. The kick-off times for the matches would be 4:45pm and 7pm.

“Yes, air-conditioned stadiums will be used after co-ordination and co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and Sports and Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy,” Abbassi said.

Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) last week announced that building works inside the Education City Stadium have ended whereas installation of stadium envelope, seats, arch finishes and roof structure has also been completed.