Commercial Bank Qatar Masters: day 3 report

Four players share the lead on 13-under heading into the final day in Qatar

22-year-old Argentinean Emiliano Grillo is one of four tied for the round-three lead in Qatar
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A crowded leaderboard sees four different nationalities tied for the lead on 13 under heading into the final day of the Commmercial Bank Qatar Masters

After a fascinating third round on yet another day of only very modest wind in Doha, two of the overnight leaders – Branden Grace and Bernd Wiesberger – retained their position at the head of the Qatar Masters field, joined by Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo and Scotland’s Marc Warren.

World number 71, Warren, added a solid 67 to Thursday’s 65 to be the first to hit the 13-under mark, and will go into Saturday in search of a fourth tour title. For the rapidly improving Grillo, who finished 44th on the Race to Dubai last year, victory tomorrow would bring a maiden tour triumph at just 22 years of age. The young Argentine has now gone 42 holes bogey-free in Doha with no blemishes on the card for the second day running.

Grace, who got off to a slow start, seemed to gain inspiration from a miracle shot he hit from the desert on the 6th to set up an unlikely birdie, and went on to hole a six-footer on 18 to join the group at 13-under. Wiesberger was the last man to join the quartet out in front with a closing birdie of his own on 18 from five feet.

Just behind the four leaders, three players stand on 11-under – overnight co-leader George Coetzee, Alejandro Canizares and the just-turned-24-year-old Englishman, Eddie Pepperell. He crammed nine birdies into his 65 - the low round of the day - to climb 27 places, and, like Grillo, will look to convert his early tour promise into a maiden victory on Saturday.

For defending champion Sergio Garcia it was a round to forget. Still in the hunt through 10, the Spaniard played his remaining eight holes in seven-over par to end his hopes of a successful title defence, with a double-bogey on 11 and a disastrous triple bogey on 15 sealing his fate.

Saturday looks set to be a great day with several experienced campaigners looking to add to their tour tally, and two talented youngsters, in Grillo and Pepperell, looking to get off the mark.

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response