March 07-10
Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar
$1,750,000

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Round 1, Round 2, Round 4

Oliver Wilson will take a one stroke lead into the final round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters after carding a three under par round of 69 in testing conditions at Doha Golf Club.

“I’m delighted, quite frankly. It’s hard out there. It’s really hard to get it close, even from the fairways with the wind. I tried really hard to keep it in play off the tees, get in the middle of the greens and just two putt. Nobody is going to get too far away and shoot super low – you just have to go out there and plod your way round."

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The 2008 Ryder Cup player was the last man in at this week’s tournament and is making the most of his chance in Qatar - reaching a ten under par total with a birdie on the 18th hole.

This is the Englishman’s first 54-hole lead on the European Tour since the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he went on to secure his first title.

“There’s still a long way to go. It’s going the right direction – it’s nice to be back in the mix. I didn’t play very well today. I managed to keep it in play. Hit some good shots when I needed to. I was patient and found something on the last four holes and hit good shots all the way in – maybe a bit of maturity – I’m really pleased that happened and I allowed myself to let that happen. It’s easy to lose your head and get frustrated. I was thinking clearly and found something.”

His gain on the last hole saw him pull away from a five-way tie for second place, which includes Nick Cullen, Nacho Elvira, Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Erik van Rooyen - all four of which are bidding for their maiden victory on the European Tour. Lorenzo-Vera enjoyed a stroke of good fortune as his teeshot on the drivable par four 16th hole hit a car and bounced to safety – he then converted his second of three consecutive birdies as he reached nine under par.

“It was pretty breezy," said Cullen. "It swished around a little bit and gusted at times too. It was tricky to pick clubs on a lot of holes with big cross-breezes where it was hard to hold the fairways.

“I’ve not been doing a lot different to what I’ve been doing. Thinking less about swing mechanics and just trying to play a bit more golf. If anything, my putting has been better over the last few weeks than earlier in the season.”

Australia’s Jake McLeod made the second hole-in-one of the tournament during the third round, and he also eagled the 18th hole to move to eight under par alongside compatriot Min Woo Lee, Belgium’s Thomas Detry and Anton Karlsson of Sweden.