Qatar Masters First-Round Leader Tips: Picks from 66/1 to 80/1

• 66/167.00 Jamieson was R1 leader here last year

• 80/181.00 Sullivan has to be backed again at the price

• 66/167.00 Waring is a consistent good starter here

Weather forecast for Thursday

It's a sunny day in Doha, now there's a surprise.

The main point of interest is the wind and that's described as "a moderate breeze" on day one.

It picks up to a steady 14-15mph in the afternoon but probably not enough to leave FRL backers fretting about tee-times.

Back Scott Jamieson @ 66/167.00

If Andy Sullivan is the poster boy of this column, then Scott Jamieson must be a strong candidate for getting second most mentions.

And it's the Scot who stands out as my main pick this week at his price of 66/167.00.

Jamieson hasn't always delivered his best stuff at Doha GC but he certainly found his mojo there last year.

His final position of third in that October edition was hugely important as it secured playing privileges for 2024. But just as key for this market was that a 65 gave him the first-round lead.

In 2022, the Florida-based Jamieson was also first-round leader of two other desert events: the Abu Dhabi Championship and the Ras al Khaimah Championship.

As for latest form, he was 16th in Bahrain last week after sitting eighth after day one thanks to a 67. That's more boxes ticked.

Back at a venue that gave him such a high just over three months ago, let's hope Jamieson can flourish from his 11.20 (local) tee time.

Back Andy Sullivan @ 80/181.00

Once again, Andy Sullivan is priced up at 80/181.00 to be first-round leader in a moderately-contested DP World Tour event.

Am I really going to overlook that? Nope. Let's rinse and repeat.

The Englishman was 17th after 54 holes last week before sliding but on day one he'd opened with a round in the 60s for the sixth time in seven events.

It only put him 26th but note in five of the previous six he'd ended the first day in the top 10, heading the leaderboard at the Dubai Desert Classic and sitting third in two others.

Here in Doha, Sullivan was seventh after 18 holes last year and only a mad round of 80 on Saturday stopped him recording a fourth top 20 in this event. After round one on debut he was fifth after day one.

And that's about it really. He tees it up at 11.30 from the 10th. Go Andy, go!

Back Paul Waring @ 66/167.00

I want an early starter too and I'll plump for Paul Waring who drives off at 06.55.

The Liverpool fan has made the top 20 in Qatar in two of his last three visits. And, as for R1 scores, he was in the top 15 after the opening lap in all three.

Waring has plenty of experience of windy, exposed tracks having been raised on links golf on the Lancashire coastline and he's made some quick starts in recent times too.

Four starts ago, an opening 63 put him second following Thursday's play in December's Mauritius Open while he was 10th after day one in the previous week's Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Now read Steve Rawlings on the Qatar Masters.