Rasmus and Brandon tied for the lead in Qatar Masters on DP World Tour
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen shares the first-round lead with Brandon Robinson Thompson at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters after recovering from an opening bogey to post a sensational 66 on Thursday.
Meanwhile, thirteen-year-old Daniil Sokolov, a Russian national representing Qatar, carded a 3-over 75 in just his second European Tour event;. After starting strong at 2-under through four holes, he stumbled with four bogeys and a double bogey, dropping to a tie for 105th when play was suspended at Doha Golf Club with 12 players yet to finish.
Rasmus, the 25-year-old Dane has made a bright start to the new campaign following a stunning 2024 in which he won three times on the HotelPlanner Tour to earn automatic promotion to the DP World Tour.
And despite an early blip in windy conditions at Doha Golf Club, where he dropped a shot at the first hole after missing his 14-foot par putt, Neergaard-Petersen continued his fine recent form as he made seven birdies and no bogeys over the next 17 holes to set the early clubhouse target at six under par.
Englishman Robinson Thompson then caught Neergaard-Petersen at the summit late in the afternoon after draining his 60-foot birdie putt on the eighth - his penultimate hole.
Robinson Thompson, who smashed the course record as he opened with a 61 in Bahrain last week, had a chance to hold the outright first-round lead for the second week in a row but was unable to make his birdie putt from ten feet on the ninth and had to settle for a share.
Italy's Andrea Pavan and England's Sam Bairstow were in a tie for third one shot behind the co-leaders after shooting 67's.
Frenchman Pierre Pineau and Armenia's Jean Bekirian were another shot back with two holes still to complete when play was suspended at 17:12 local time due to darkness. They will return early in the morning when round one restarts at 07:00.
Neergaard-Petersen began the tournament with a bogey but bounced back immediately at the second, holing from eight feet for a birdie.
He repeated the trick at the fourth from a similar distance before picking up further shots on the seventh and ninth as he reached the turn in 33.
Neergaard-Petersen then made it back-to-back birdies from tap-in range at the tenth to get to four under.
A 30-foot birdie followed on the 13th before another gain at the 14th took Neergaard-Petersen to six under.
He said, 'I'm extremely pleased, even after the bogey at the first. To bounce back like that was huge.
'I felt really good into the greens today and was able to roll in some putts. It was a lovely day.
'I made a conscious effort this week to try and start fast. I told my caddie, Brian, going into this week that was the main goal, get off to a good start, be under par through six and take it from there."
Robinson Thompson started from the tenth tee on Thursday and mixed four birdies with one bogey on his way to the turn.
After making a ten-foot birdie on the par-five first, he had to wait until the seventh for his next gain before going back-to-back from long range at the eighth.
Three good shots into the long ninth set up a decent birdie chance at his last hole but Robinson Thompson was unable to convert and had to make do with a closing par.
He said, 'Just a lot of good stuff out there today. Tricky conditions with the wind, but first and foremost the golf course is in unbelievable condition. The guys at Doha Golf Club have done such a good job. I just took advantage of opportunities that came my way.
'The first round is always important, it can get you in the tournament, you can relax and build on it. This is almost like a home game for me. I've been here so many times and I'm so comfortable here.
'I had some people out watching as well. It's just fun to be here. I'm comfortable on the golf course. I'm staying with a really good friend of mine. With the course being as good as I've ever seen it, it's exciting to play, because I know the course, and it's awesome.
'I just love golf. Full stop. I love competing. I'm so happy to be out here on the DP World Tour. It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and I'm living the dream.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Mokaev faces Assis as 971FC gears up for blockbuster fight card
971FC, the UAE's fastest-growing fight promotion, takes the Coca-Cola Arena by storm on Saturday, for a landmark night of international combat sports and entertainment. With 14 explosive bouts, elite fighters in the main and co-main events, and a headline live performance by hip-hop legend Lloyd Banks, this is more than a fight night – it's a cultural event. This event is officially sold out, marking it as one of the most anticipated sporting spectacles of the year. The spotlight shines bright as Muhammad Mokaev faces off against Thomas Assis in the main event, a thrilling bantamweight bout set to headline an action-packed fight night. In a major shakeup, undefeated British-Dagestani phenom Mokaev (14-0) faces off against Brazilian submission expert with an 11-fight win streak Assis (12-2). A former IMMAF world champion and UFC veteran, Mokaev is known for his relentless pressure and Olympic-level wrestling. Assis, who hails from Coari in Brazil and trains out of RCT Coari, is riding a win streak and brings a gritty, aggressive grappling style that promises a chess match on the ground. Russian powerhouse and sambo technician Raimond Magomedaliev (10-2) returns to action, looking to impose his dominant top game against seasoned Brazilian striker Andrey 'Mineiro' Augusto (17-9-1) in the co-main event. Augusto is known for his durability and knockout power and will look to test the Russian's chin and composure under fire.
Dubai Eye
6 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Laser-focused Gauff ends Boisson's dream run to reach French Open final
Coco Gauff ended local heroine Lois Boisson's dream run at the French Open as the American kept her cool in a fiery atmosphere to earn a ruthless 6-1 6-2 victory on Thursday, setting up a blockbuster final with top seed Aryna Sabalenka. Laser-focused, the world number two subdued the French wild card and the home crowd to speed through the contest on Court Philippe Chatrier and reach the Roland Garros final for the second time after she lost to Iga Swiatek in 2022. Boisson, ranked 361st with only two career matches on the main tour coming into the claycourt major, had downed world number three Jessica Pegula and Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the previous rounds but she looked deflated against Gauff. The 22-year-old will, however, pocket a career-changing 690,000 euros ($789,567) in prize money, while Gauff, 21, will have the chance to secure her second Grand Slam title after winning the 2023 US Open. Playing a local favourite at Roland Garros in front of a notoriously fierce crowd can be a challenge even for the most seasoned players, but Gauff was ready. "This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that it was to be 99% for her so I was trying to block it out," said Gauff. Addressing the crowd, she added: "When you were saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself." EXTRA SHOT Gauff, who can become the first American since Serena Williams in 2015 to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, clearly shifted up a gear after beating compatriot Madison Keys in an error-strewn quarter-final on Wednesday. Her forehand was solid again, her backhand mesmerising at times and she served consistently throughout. Boisson, on the other hand, made an unusual number of unforced errors as her opponent repeatedly forced her to go for the extra shot. Gauff raced to a 4-0 lead under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof and never looked back, breaking to love at 3-2 in the second set right after Boisson broke her serve for the first time. The American was on an eight-point winning streak and at the change of ends at 5-2, Boisson placed her towel over her head and hit herself in frustration. "It's always the plan to start strong," said Gauff. "I knew it was important today. She's an incredible player, she proved to be one of the best players in the world, especially on clay. I'm sure we'll have more battles in the future." DIRECT ENTRY The first Frenchwoman to reach the last four at Roland Garros since Marion Bartoli in 2011, Boisson bowed out when she sent yet another forehand long. She will climb up to 65th in the WTA rankings, which will all but guarantee her direct entry into the main draw at Grand Slams and top-tier events. Boisson has her feet firmly on the ground, though. "Of course the programme will change. It won't be what was planned at the beginning, considering my upcoming ranking," she told a press conference. "But, for the time being, I'm not going to make any particular changes because I think that if I'm here today it's because it works well and I don't see why I would change much. "Today it was quite simply too tough for me. I couldn't manage to get my game going, but apart from today's match, which wasn't all positive, the tournament as a whole was very positive."
Gulf Today
6 days ago
- Gulf Today
Grebnev wins 25th Dubai Open Chess title
After a month of non-stop competition - playing one tournament after another across three cities in the UAE with little rest in between - teenage Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev finally hit his stride in Dubai. Needing only a draw to secure the title, the 18-year-old Russian stayed composed despite an opening surprise by his opponent to calmly collect the half point he needed to clinch the championship in the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament on Wednesday at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev drew his final-round game against GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia to finish with seven points in the nine-round tournament on account of five wins, four draws, and no losses. While he has won the Asian Junior Championship twice in 2023 and 2024 and was the 2023 U18 World Youth champion, Grebnev considers the Dubai Open as the biggest win in his young career. 'I am very pleased that I managed to show a good performance and win the tournament,' said Grebnev after the title-clinching draw. 'This is my first time winning a tournament of this level.' Playing white against Sargsyan, Grebnev said he was surprised to see the Caro-Kann defense on the board, which he countered with the Two Knights' Attack. 'Before the game, I decided that I had to play hard (despite needing only a draw to win the tournament),' he said. 'My opponent surprised me in the opening by defending with the Caro-Kann, but I responded well and the position quickly equalised and he offered a draw.' The Dubai Open was Grebnev's fourth tournament in a row - and third successive event within a month in the UAE. He played at the Asian Men's Championship in Al Ain and the Sharjah Masters last month with uninspiring results, but Dubai proved to be the turning point. 'I feel tired,' he said of playing high-pressure games almost every day for a month. 'But I'm very happy with the results of the tournament.' To celebrate, Grebnev said he plans to explore some of Dubai's must-visit spots with his mother Helena, who accompanied him during the Dubai leg of his four-week campaign in the UAE. 'I just want to take a break from the tension,' he said. 'This is my first time in Dubai and I was planning to go to the Dubai Mall tomorrow. After Dubai, I plan to rest for a week and then I'll play in the Higher League of the Russian Championship.' GM Alan Pichot of Spain also finished the tournament with seven points after defeating Iranian prodigy GM Sina Movahed, but settled for second place with an inferior tiebreak score, which calculated the average rating of a player's opponents. Russia's GM Ivan Zemlyanskii, who defeated Vietnam's IM Pham Tran Gia Phuc, Sargsyan, and GM Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia, who won over India's GM Bharath Subramaniyam, scored 6.5 points each and finished third to fifth, respectively.
