Patrick Reed (-12) is the leader of the Qatar Masters after the first 36 holes. Nothing new under the sun. The champion of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is not looking back. He delivered a round of 67 strokes this Friday at the Doha Golf Club and his average in 2026 is already around 68.5. Impressive. Today he made six birdies and a solitary bogey. That’s 15 birdies in two rounds. For now, he’s still in another dimension.
Reed has a one-stroke lead over Joakim Lagergren (-11) and two over Richard Sterne (-10) and Daniel Hillier (-10). One stroke further back, in fifth place, is Ángel Ayora (-9). And just outside the top 10 is the Canary Islander Rafa Cabrera Bello (-7). He signed a card of 67 strokes, with five birdies and no errors. He has only committed one bogey in 36 holes. Mr Clean is back in our lives. Another chance for Spanish golf to seek victory this weekend.
The Canary Islander is playing very solidly, making very few mistakes and brilliantly resolving the difficult situations that arise. Today he didn’t have many. If anything, the tee shot on hole 13, where he came up short with water threatening, and the tee shot on 15. It’s a tough par 4, he went into the sand off the tee, but hit a masterful second shot. Another demonstration that his golf is ready to lift a trophy on a Sunday… or at least fight for it until the end.
Friday afternoon was also for Nacho Elvira (-4). The Cantabrian displayed fantasy golf. He hit one great shot after another, one great iron after another, and got to eight under in 12 holes. Madness. “Today I looked like a black golfer dressed in red and black,” he confessed to Ten Golf after the round with a laugh, referring to Tiger Woods. The DP World Tour itself published a revealing video after his second shot on hole 6. Nacho started laughing as soon as he saw the 4-iron fly, and David Morago, his caddie, said: “what a shot you just hit, mate…”. Nacho enjoyed himself on the golf course today, despite the two consecutive bogeys on holes 13 and 14. “I think I got scared of how well I was playing,” he says with great humour.
We think Team Elvira enjoyed this one 🤣#QatarMasters pic.twitter.com/rZbbvgktw3
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 6, 2026
In any case, it’s another demonstration that Nacho Elvira’s game is in a very sweet spot and he’s capable of going very low in any circumstance. There aren’t many right now on the DP World Tour hitting irons with the solidity and effectiveness of the Spanish golfer. Additionally, Pablo Larrazábal (-2), who shared a group with Rafa Cabrera Bello, has made the cut. A step forward for the player from El Prat.
