Woosnam rolls back the years

Ian Woosnam has already ruled out playing in next year’s Ryder Cup but Europe’s new captain reminded everybody today that he can still play.

The 47-year-old Welshman went to the turn at the Qatar Masters in Doha – fast becoming one of his happiest hunting grounds – in a three-under-par 33 to trail early leader Henrik Stenson by only two.

Woosnam has not won a stroke play title since 1997 but he was second in the event to Rolf Muntz in 2000 and has had five other top-20 finishes on the course.

His first birdie came at the 542-yard 10th, his opening hole, and after picking up another two holes later he rolled in a 12-foot putt at the short 17th.

Muntz himself was going well again, out in four under, but Stenson’s eagle at the 589-yard first – his 10th hole of the day – gave him a one-stroke advantage over not only the Dutchman, but also his fellow Swedes Robert Karlsson and Peter Hedblom.

World number three Ernie Els, the only member of golf’s top 50 taking part in the event, was among the later starters.

Yorkshireman Simon Dyson, first to tee off at 6.25am, wiped the sleep from his eyes to move to four under as well, but then came a double bogey at the 224-yard third, his 12th.

Dyson’s tee shot narrowly avoided the lake by the green but lodged nine inches off the ground in a clump of grass and with no way of advancing the ball towards the flag he opted to take a penalty drop and then missed a seven-foot putt.

Australian left-hander Richard Green, 52nd in the world and trying to climb into the leading 50 to secure a US Masters debut next month, was three under after 12.

But Ryder Cup Dubliner Paul McGinley, still in with an outside chance of making it to Augusta himself from his current 69th on the rankings, had to be content with parring every hole on the back nine.

Defending champion Joakim Haeggman also turned in 36, but in a very different way. There were birdies at the 10th, 14th and 16th, but also a double bogey on the 12th and a bogey at the 15th.

As has always been the case so far at one of the European Tour’s newest events, spectators were few and far between and whether Els’s presence in a country with only one grass course changed that remained to be seen.