– Brandon Robinson Thompson (-10), solo leader at the Qatar Masters after the second round, is taking advantage of two very specific circumstances at the Doha Golf Club: the first and most important, his excellent form and confidence. And the second, being on the right side of the tournament draw, those players who played on Thursday afternoon and this Friday morning, both windy shifts, but significantly less so than the other two.
The Englishman has only made one bogey in 36 holes and leads the tournament authoritatively after signing a 68 this morning. Robinson Thompson, a 32-year-old player who is certainly peculiar due to his globetrotting nature, already knows what it is to win a professional tournament, but so far he has never done so on the DP World Tour, where he is a newcomer (this week he is playing his sixteenth tournament on this circuit). He studied (and played golf) at Morningside College in Iowa and South Carolina Aiken, turned professional in 2017, played the PGA Tour Latinoamérica, crossed the pond and joined the EuroPro Tour, where he won for the first time, made a sporadic leap to the Mena Tour, where he also won, earned a spot on the Challenge Tour, where he has won twice, and through this circuit, here he is, in his rookie season in the top division and causing real admiration for his powerful game and excellent attitude on the course…
– The Armada had us very spoiled on the Desert Swing and this week, in Qatar, not so many Spaniards are appearing at the top, at least for now, although Nacho Elvira (-5) can be counted on as a reliable spearhead, as today he has chained his tenth consecutive round under par on this course, already a classic on the European circuit calendar. They were all from 2023, all from 2024, and these first two from 2025. This player has been a main protagonist in Qatar numerous and varied times in recent years, even coming close to victory on several occasions.
– There is still room for manoeuvre, but for now, it is essential to especially highlight the excellent round of golf by Jorge Campillo (-2), a 66 that has put him right into the weekend, which was not at all clear after seriously slipping in the first round (76 strokes). Despite everything, the Extremaduran has confessed to Tengolf that today he hit the ball worse than yesterday. Or that, at least, he didn’t hit it better, despite having ten fewer strokes. The player must be believed, of course, because golf is like that, tremendously complicated in analysis, although the sensations also remain an ethereal and subjective entity…
– Ángel Hidalgo (-3), for his part, has just signed the best card of 2025, a 68 that has also guaranteed him the cut, after missing the last two. They are more than just green shoots, especially considering he is a player who couldn’t do preseason, after undergoing surgery to remove a bothersome cyst. The Malagueño has let some good opportunities slip today, but he doesn’t ask much more from his round: “I also saved some delicate situations. Today my short game and putting were up to par,” he notes.
– Álvaro Quirós (-3) will also be in the game on Saturday, despite delivering a score of 73 strokes today. The man from Guadiaro hadn’t made a cut on the European circuit precisely since he did so exactly two years ago in this same tournament, although in truth, he hasn’t been able to play much on the DP World Tour in this time. Be that as it may, these first 36 holes of his at the Doha Golf Club should also be considered more than just green shoots, because, even today, just like yesterday and despite the result, his tee-to-green game has been moderately orderly.
– It is seen almost every year at the Doha Golf Club: players who on windy days are more aggressive than necessary, or force some shots in search of those birdies that don’t come, and end up paying dearly. This was the case for Alejandro del Rey (PAR), who missed the cut by just one stroke, after missing a birdie putt from about two metres on the 18th (Something very similar happened to Adrián Otaegui, although his birdie putt on the 18th was a bit longer). Del Rey’s season, with the victory in Ras Al Khaimah, is more than made, but surely he can give the concept of consistency two more turns after missing the cut in Bahrain and Qatar…
– Pablo Larrazábal, Albert Boneta, Rafa Cabrera Bello, and Joel Moscatel also missed the cut. On the contrary, Manu Elvira (-2) will be there for another weekend. He missed in Dubai, but was in RAK and Bahrain. The youngest of the saga needs very little, less than it seems, to get even more out of his game and make the leap in the rankings.
– Iván Cantero (-1) signed an even-par round this afternoon, and it was not a bad score in the most challenging playing shift. Tomorrow he will be out in the first matches, and you don’t need to be a genius to realise how tight the table is and, therefore, the multiple and varied opportunities still in play: there are only five strokes between the top ten and the last ones who made the cut. It is the same case for Ángel Ayora (-1) and even Alfredo García Heredia (-2).
