Paul Lawrie’s bid to become the first player to win three Commercial Bank Qatar Masters titles got off to a purposeful start as the Scot finished among the early leaders in Doha.
While Pablo Larrazabal and Louis Oosthuizen set the early pace with seven-under 65s, Lawrie tucked himself in with the frontrunners thanks to a tidy five-under 67 in windy conditions.
Lawrie won the Qatar title in 1999, the same year as he won the Open, and claimed it again in early 2012 during a season in which he qualified for the Ryder Cup team after a 13 year absence.
The Aberdonian bounced back from a three-putt bogey from 15-feet on the first to snatch six birdies, including four in a five-hole stretch from the sixth hole as he set himself up for another title tilt.
“It’s nice seeing your picture, as a former champion, up on display and it’s a golf course I have always enjoyed and always played well on,” said Lawrie. “I've always been a pretty good wind player and it normally blows around here. You’ve got to roll the sleeves up.”
Another less well known Aberdonian, Clarke Lutton, also made an early impact as he opened with a 68 to sit inside the top-20.
Lutton, 32 moved with his family from Aberdeen to the Middle East when he was just 13 years of age and his close connections with this week’s venue help secure him an invitation
“It was here in Doha I first began playing golf,” said Lutton, who has a conditional card for this season’s Asian Tour. “I’ve got to know one of the directors of the club who organises this tournament really well and he pulled a few strings for me. Given that I grew up here, and I’ve watched this tournament for so many years, I was a bit anxious.”
At the head of the field, Larrazabal and Oosthuizen carved out 14 birdies between them in matching 65s as they finished a stroke ahead of England’s Andrew Johnston, Bjorn Akesson of Sweden and big-hitting Belgian, Nicolas Colsaerts.
South Africa’s major winning duo, Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman, both opened with 68s while Sergio Garcia had an eventful 70 that had four birdies in six holes from the seventh, a bogey on the 13th, a three-putt on the 17th and a lip out for birdie on the last. “I felt like I probably turned a 68 or a 67 into a 70,” he said.
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