Harding back from injury and looking for some inspiration at Doha Golf Club

 

Two-time Asian Tour winner Justin Harding is relishing the return to Doha Golf Club this week, venue for the inaugural International Series Qatar, as it is a venue where he has enjoyed success before.

The 37-year-old South African, with the magical putting stroke, is also looking for a boost of confidence having just returned from a long-injury break – which saw him miss the second half of 2022.

Harding was victorious in the Qatar event here on the DP World Tour three years ago, and was fifth in the tournament last year, so don’t be surprised to see him make a run despite the lack of playing time.

“I’ve got a good track record around here, even Alan my caddy has had a lot of good finishes with George Coetzee here as well, so it’s a venue which is close to our hearts,” said Harding.

“I played pretty good here last year, as well, I think I had a bad start to the week but ended up top five. I’m looking forward to it, I am.”

His injury, a hip-stress fracture, meant he was out of action from the middle of September until late January.

He said: “It feels like the swing is coming along, I obviously had a long time out through injury. I think I was out for about four-and-a-half months or whatever it was, not swinging a club, back end of last year. My scores have been evident of the fact that I’m just rusty and just hitting some poor shots, and more so than I would otherwise be used to.

“But at the end of the day, that’s golf. You just kind of got to go through the rites and work it out and keep grinding. The doctors shut me down after the Wentworth BMW PGA Championship. But yeah, on crutches for nine weeks, or whatever it was, so it wasn’t the best of experiences.”

His injury concern was tempered by the fact that he and his partner Leah Totton welcomed the birth of their first child last year.

“I had a little baby girl in November, so it was an interesting time I must be honest,” said the South African.

“Obviously not being able to play golf was difficult, but having Lila and just being a dad for the first time was awesome. And being able to spend time at home was an added bonus, I got to help out for two months and now I’ve obviously been away from them for a month-and-a-half which is different as well. I’m navigating being a new dad and dealing with all of those sorts of things.”

Doha Golf Club is known as a challenging layout but with a fine record here it is a course that seems to fit Harding’s game nicely.

“I mean it’s a good golf course. It’s a good test. I think when the wind blows, it certainly makes it challenging to get it around. The scores are never really super low, it’s just a good challenge,” he says.

“They’ve put a few tees in, I played the back nine yesterday, and they have put a couple tees in which have made a few of the holes a little different, considerably longer.”

Harding famously won the Bank BRI Indonesia Open on the Asian Tour in 2018 while playing on a sponsors invite, and followed it up two weeks later with another win in Thailand at the Royal Cup for back-to-back victories.

It was a fantastic year for Harding as he finished third on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, also helped by a runner up finish in the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup and three other top 10s.

He is also a seven-time winner in South Africa.

“I played good [that year], didn’t really ever feel like I played badly. I try to minimize the mistakes, try to keep the bogeys off the card and ultimately, just tally up the birdies if that makes any sense. I know that it’s easier said than done, but it felt like I managed my game well. I kind of knew where the ball was going and managed my misses. Putted great, I mean I’m not denying it, I putted unbelievably well.”

his season Harding will be dividing his time between the Asian Tour and the DP World Tour in order to try to keep his playing status on both Tours, and is also excited to be competing in the International Series events.

He adds: “Yeah, ultimately I want to enjoy the International Series and what that’s brought to the Asian Tour. I’ll try playing as many of those as I can and then throw in a couple other events. Maybe go back to Indonesia end of the year, where I have won.”

He has been paired with Korea’s Bio Kim and Ryosuke Kinoshita from Japan in the first two rounds.

 

 

Picture captions

Justin Harding of South Africa pictured during the Pro-am event on Wednesday February 15, 2023 ahead of the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar at Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar. The tournament is being held from February 16-19, 2023. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

 

Justin Harding of South Africa pictured during the Pro-am event on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at the The International Series Qatar at Doha Golf Club. The US$2.5 million International Series Qatar at Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar. The tournament is being held from February 16-19, 2023. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.