Consolation for Warren as he enters world top 60

EVERY cloud has a silver lining, as Marc Warren will find out today when the latest world rankings are published.
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Published 26th Jan 2015, 08:08 BST
Marc Warren plays his second shot on the second hole during the final round of the Qatar Masters on Saturday Picture: Getty ImagesMarc Warren plays his second shot on the second hole during the final round of the Qatar Masters on Saturday Picture: Getty Images
Marc Warren plays his second shot on the second hole during the final round of the Qatar Masters on Saturday Picture: Getty Images

On the back of his second-place finish behind South African Branden Grace in the Qatar Masters on Saturday, they’ll bring good news for the Glaswegian.

He’s expected to move from 71st spot to inside the top 60, thus securing a start in next month’s $8.5m WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami.

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The leap also means Warren has given himself a great chance of bolstering the Scottish contingent at this year’s Masters to four, with Sandy Lyle and Stephen Gallacher having already secured their coveted Augusta National invitations along with amateur Bradley Neil. If Warren can break into the top 50 by the end of March he, too, will be making the drive up Magnolia Lane – in his case for the first time – and one more good display like the one in Doha between now and then might be good enough.

The 33-year-old bounced back from a double-bogey at the eighth to cover the last ten holes in six-under, a closing 67 for an 18-under-par total falling agonisingly short after Grace eagled the 16th to secure his sixth European Tour title.

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“After playing a final ten holes like that, I wish next week [the Omega Dubai Desert Classic] started tomorrow,” said Warren as he reflected on narrowly missing out on joining Paul Lawrie (twice) and Andrew Coltart on the trophy.

“It’s a second place, but it’s not like I have made any mistakes coming in,” he added. “It was exactly the opposite, to be honest. It was kind of foot down and go forward and I felt like I was swinging well the last few holes. I was going at flags and the putts were going in, so, overall, it was a really exciting day.”

More of the same in Dubai then in Malaysia next week, when a hefty weight of world ranking points are also on offer, and Warren could be set for many more exciting days this season.

The three-times European Tour winner is already in the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in August after recording his second straight top-15 finish in the season’s final major last year.