After forgettable performances in Abu Dhabi, third-ranked Lee Westwood and fourth-ranked Martin Kaymer are looking to get their 2012 seasons back on track with strong showings at the Qatar Masters.
They have chosen one of the most challenging courses on the European Tour’s desert swing to do it, however.

The Doha Golf Club just outside Doha is infamous for its windy conditions and this year will be no different. Forecasts are for winds to reach upward of 32 kph (20 mph) for much of the tournament.
Westwood struggled at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and finished in a tie for 17th. Nursing a sore shoulder and unable to master the greens, the Englishman was even par after two rounds. By the time he started playing Left Handed Ping G20 Driver better, including a 4-under 68 in the third round, he was effectively out of contention and finished seven shots behind eventual winner Robert Rock.
“I had a few sort of issues to negotiate,” Westwood said. “We’ve been working a lot on my fitness just recently, and I haven’t played a lot coming into Abu Dhabi. Didn’t hole as many putts or find the greens there, a little difficult to read.”
Still, Westwood said his showing was “a decent start” and he was feeling good about hisLeft Handed Ping G20 Driver
after closing out the 2011 season strong. He won the Thailand Golf Championship in December and the Nedbank Challenge a few weeks earlier. He had a third-round score of 62 at Nedbank, and opened Thailand with a 60—the lowest round of his career—and then a 64 to beat Charl Schwartzel by seven strokes.
“The ball is starting on line where I’m aiming, and my pace control was good. I only made one bogey over the weekend. Unfortunately that was a three putt from long range,” Westwood said of his putting. “I think I was second in greens in regulation, so my Left Handed Ping G20 Driver
is fairly sharp. Like I said, I’m a notoriously slow starter and it always takes me a bit to get going.”