SSP Chawrasia, Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar. Filepic
Doha, Qatar, March 10: Armed with the confidence of two Top-5 finishes on local home Tour in India, SSP Chawrasia will join fellow Indians, Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar, on the European Tour for the first time in 2021 at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
Chawrasia was T-3 at the Gujarat Open in India last month and before that he was T-4 at the Tata Steel Tour Championships in the week before Christmas. “I feel the game is in a better place than it was when I went to Europe before that, so I am confident,” said Chawrasia, a six-time winner in Asia and a four-time winner on the European Tour.
Sharma opened 2021 with the Desert Swing, where he missed two cuts in three starts, even though his game looked decent in patches. He was T-22 in Dubai Desert Classic, and said, “It was a question of bringing some consistency, and I am hoping that will be there next few weeks.”
Bhullar, who won the Tata Steel Tour Championships in India at the end of 2020, missed the cuts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai but is hoping to buck the trend in Qatar.
All three Indians will tee off from the 10th tee. Chawrasia will be the first in the Indian trio to tee off alongside local Qatari pro, Ali Al-Shahrani and Benjamin Poke at 7.55 am. Bhullar will be the next at 11 am alongside Raphael Jacquelin and Alejandro Canizares and Sharma plays with Alexander Bjork and Ross Fisher at 12.30.
Meannwhile Jorge Campillo will for the first time defend a European Tour title. The Spaniard recorded his second European Tour win when he defeated Scotland’s David Drysdale in a thrilling five-hole play-off at Education City Golf Club last season – holing three putts from more than 20 feet on the extra holes.
The 34-year-old was unable to defend the Trophée Hassan II trophy he won in 2019 after the tournament was cancelled last year due to the global coronavirus pandemic, with the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters proving to be the final European Tour event before the enforced hiatus.
Former champions Darren Fichardt, Justin Harding and Eddie Pepperell are also teeing it up in Doha this week, as are 2016 Ryder Cup players Thomas Pieters and Andy Sullivan.
Both Pieters and Sullivan have made encouraging starts to the 2021 Race to Dubai, with Sullivan finishing in a share of 25th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first Rolex Series event of the year, while Pieters finished tenth at the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers. The Belgian has also missed just two cuts in his last 28 European Tour starts.
Rising star Rasmus Højgaard is keen to build on his strong start to the 2021 season at this year’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, after encouraging performances during the Desert Swing.
