Hisatsune the man to conquer Doha

With the PGA Tour taking a rest after the trip to Japan where Collin Morikawa came from behind to end a lengthy losing run in the ZOZO Championship, the Qatar Masters in Doha has the stage to itself this week, at least as far as live golf on Sky is concerned.

Fancied golfers won all three tournaments last week, Morikawa at 11/1 at Narashino, Adrian Meronk at 18/1 at Sotogrande, and the Bryson DeChambeau-inspired Crushers landing the LIV Team Championship at 4/1 in Miami.

How the PGA Tour could do with box-office DeChambeau who is in the form of his life and has the bank balance to prove it, with his $4m share of the $16m team winners’ jackpot coming his way in Doral – his third $4m payday after spectacular individual triumphs at LIV Greenbrier in August and LIV Chicago in September.

But at last a Brit has got his name on the LIV honours board thanks to Paul Casey being a member of the winning Crushers team. What a miserable year Ryder Cup heroes of the past Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell have had since taking the Saudi shilling and Casey was in the same boat until Sunday although he had some health issues as an excuse.

The least successful member of DeChambeau’s winning quartet had not finished higher than 19th in his previous 12 LIV starts and was again the team’s weakest link on Sunday, shooting a 73 to Anirban Lahiri’s 65, DeChambeau’s 67 and Charles Howell’s 72. But it was just good enough and after all his travails, the one-time world No. 3 who played his junior golf at Burhill, the Surrey club just a drive and a flick from my front door, he left Doral the most relieved and probably the happiest man on the team.

What LIV badly needs next year if it is ever to catch on in Europe is to sign a current European star at the top of his game or a young buck with proven potential like Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg rather than a bunch of guys whose best years are behind them. I wonder who they’ll tempt? Meronk, the 6ft 6in Pole who was furious about not making the Ryder Cup squad despite being a winner on the Ryder Cup course, Marco Simone, in this year’s Italian Open, is a likely target after his third victory in 11 months at the weekend. As he’s a winner of the Australian Open, that will speak in his favour with chief LIV scout and Aussie legend Greg Norman.

It’s unlikely the only Ryder Cup man competing in Qatar, Bob MacIntyre, will be on LIV‘s shopping list but that could all change with victory in Doha on Sunday in a field where it’s hard to nominate a favourite.

it’s surprising to find Bobby Mac as big as 28/1 as he has shown decent form since emerging unbeaten from his Ryder Cup debut, scoring 2.5 points out of three. The pressure is off now and he should be playing with greater freedom.

Cases can be made for many, not least Aaron Rai, the man from Wolverhampton who has been doing nicely on the PGA Tour, while course winners Antoine Rozner, Eddie Pepperell, Jorge Campillo and defending champion Ewen Ferguson demand respect.

I’m particularly impressed by the young Japanese star Ryo Hisatsune in his rookie year on the DP World Tour. Only 21 and still a work in progress, he followed last month’s victory in the French Open with an eyecatching T6 behind classy Morikawa when venturing last week on to the PGA circuit for the ZOZO. This could be a little easier but he’ll have to graft on the monster 7666-yard par 72 which opens and closes with a par five and has a really long one, of 659 yards, in the middle.

The main danger could be New Zealander Daniel Hillier, another big prospect who also got on the gravy train this summer with a W at the British Masters in June. That could have been a fluke but the confidence Dan gained can be seen in his subsequent performances, 12th at the Irish Open and ninth and 19th in the two Spanish tournaments just played.

Scandi stars Rasmus Hojgaard and Alexander Bjork must come into the conversation too with the former, much the younger man, the more likely to show improvement.

Pepperell, who has been peppering social media with his succinct views of LIV, went 18 under to win in Doha five years ago. That was his first win and returning to such a happy hunting ground should inspire him. The Oxford man is still very capable as he has shown more than once this term.

Veterans Adrian Otaegui and Marcel Siem are two more who must be considered. Germany’s pony-tailed Siem has got his second wind at 43 and has been firing in birdies and aces  for fun. Fourth and seventh in the two recent Spanish tournaments are giving a strong finish to a revival year that began with victory in the Indian Open. Nobody is playing with more obvious enthusiasm and confidence.

When the shamal, the local wind, gets up in the afternoon, anything under par is good and the last two winning scores, seven under by Ferguson and eight under by Rozner, bear witness to the test they are facing in a very open contest. It’s going to be hot too, 90F-plus, so fitness and patience are valuable attributes.