Rayhan upbeat despite Doha disappointment
DEFENDING champion Rayhan Thomas of India had a disappointing outing, finishing joint-ninth along with three others at the Doha Golf Club (DGC).
The Dubai-based golfer had rounds of 73, 71, 79 for a seven-over par 79 to aggregate 223 in the tournament.
Though the 17-year-old missed out on the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, he will compete in the other two European Tour events that are part of the Middle East Desert Swing — the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Rayhan had a forgettable final day at the DGC, where he shot 79. He later admitted that from the time he had a double bogey on the fourth hole, the ‘game was virtually over’ for him.
“I started well, but unfortunately, a four-putt double bogey on the fourth hole affected my momentum,” rued Rayhan.
“I was even-par after nine and was still confident on the back nine as I was just two behind the leader. But I dropped another shot on the 10th and then three-putted the 11th, which saw my chances fade away.
“My driver let me down a little bit today as I missed some fairways and couldn’t set up more birdie chances,” he added.
With the two big European Tour events coming up, Rayhan does not see any reason to worry.
“Overall, I am happy with the way I played. I enjoyed a lot, the game is right up there and I’m competing with some of the top amateurs, which is nice,” Rayhan signed off.
