Goosen takes clubhouse lead in Doha
Retief Goosen celebrated his 42nd birthday by setting the clubhouse target at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters in windy Doha today.
A three-under-par 69 was sufficient to make the 2007 winner – it remains his last European Tour victory – the target for the rest of the field.
Defending champion Robert Karlsson needed a closing par five to match Goosen’s score, but instead went over the green in three and ran up a bogey.
England’s Richard Finch was also three under with one to play, but took six on the 639-yard ninth as well.
That followed a long discussion over whether his ball had moved after he had addressed it. The former Irish Open champion called a referee, but with no television close-up – Padraig Harrington’s undoing in Abu Dhabi a fortnight ago - to prove it one way or the other he was able to continue without penalty.
World number one Lee Westwood handed in a 73, the same as Sergio Garcia, but Americans Steve Stricker and John Daly both struggled badly.
Seventh-ranked Stricker, playing with Karlsson and Westwood, managed only a 76, while Daly, one under at the turn, came home in 42 for a 77.
German Martin Kaymer, who could take the number one spot off Westwood with a top-two finish, was among the later starters, as was last week’s winner Paul Casey.
Goosen has gone nearly two years without a victory, but has had no fewer than 25 top-10 finishes in that time and was joint third in Abu Dhabi, albeit 10 strokes behind Kaymer.
“It was a good four-club wind and tough,” he said. “But I got off to a good start and my putting kept my score together.”
Goosen added that there was a danger of balls moving on some greens if the wind strengthened.
“It’s borderline. I think the 12th could be a problem – the flag’s on a slope and I was quite surprised they put it there,” he said.
Karlsson, who had scrambled brilliantly before his disappointing finish, said: “It was a very, very difficult day.
“At least you knew where the wind was coming from, but it was gusting and it’s a long while since I’ve played in a wind like that.”
Kaymer had only one bogey all week in Abu Dhabi, but with not much let-up in the wind he dropped a shot at the sixth and did not have a single birdie on the outward half.
Turning in 37 left him four behind, but that was still three better than Sunday’s winner Casey.
Goosen was joined on three under by compatriot Thomas Aiken and England’s Seve Benson reached the same mark before bogeying the short third, his 12th.
