US Ryder Cup star Scott Verplank will be up against the swirling winds of the Arabian Gulf as well as a world-class field when he makes his Middle East debut at the $2.5 million Commercialbank Qatar Masters, held at Doha Golf Club from Jan 24-27.

Verplank has shown he is capable of taming blustery conditions in places like Maui in Hawaii – where he tied for 18th earlier this month - but it’s the warm desert ‘shamaal’ that blows across the 7,374-yard Doha course that will be a new and testing opponent for the 43 year-old Texan.

A captain’s pick in the 2006 Ryder Cup where he became the first American to hit a hole-in-one in the history of the competition, Verplank will make his Doha debut in a star-studded field that includes Retief Goosen, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald.

The American has forged a successful pro career despite suffering from diabetes and heads to the Middle East following a successful 2007 campaign that saw him win more than $3 million in prize-money thanks to ten top-ten finishes in PGA TOUR events as well as a one-shot victory over Englishman Donald in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in his home state of Texas.

“Winning the Byron Nelson was a childhood dream,” said Verplank. “When I was a little kid, I would go out to watch the Byron Nelson when it was at Preston Trail back in the 1970s.  “I walked around watching Tom Watson play when it seemed to me like he won every year at Preston Trail, and I think I was there for all of them. I guess it''s like a kid peeking through the fence of a baseball stadium and wanting to be on the Yankees one day. That''s what it was like for me. I was a kid wanting to do that, and I can''t believe I pulled it off.”

Despite this being his first trip to the Gulf state, the American will have his eye on the winner’s cheque of $416, 660 - the richest in the tournament’s eleven-year history – as the event continues to receive backing from global brands and Qatari businesses.

Once again Qatar Airways is the tournament’s official airline, while CNN, InterCon and The Pearl Qatar have thrown their huge support behind the second tournament on the three-event ‘Desert Swing’, the term given to the PGA European Tour’s three back-to-back events in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.

“The international promotion of Qatar as a business, sports and tourist destination is important to us and the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) so we are delighted to welcome Scott Verplank for the first time,” said Hassan Al Nuami, Chairman of the Qatar Golf Association (QGA) who host the event along with the Qatar Olympic Committee and title sponsors Commercialbank.

“Pro golf has only been in Qatar for ten years and the tournament had made dramatic progress thanks to the backing of the Tour, the players and, of course, our sponsors. It is credit to them all that we are looking ahead to the eleventh staging of the Masters with a field on par with the best tournaments on the calendar.”