Parry will treat himself to Ferrari if he does well in Qatar

The 27-year-old turned a missed cut in Abu Dhabi last week into an excuse to pursue another of his passions – motor sport – and it has given him extra incentive for the tournament in Doha, which begins today.

Parry said: “After missing the cut in Abu Dhabi I stayed on to practise hard over the weekend, but also took some time out to visit the Ferrari World theme park at Yas Island.

“Having spent some time on the simulators I would like to think that a good performance at the Qatar Masters this week would give me the cash to buy one of the real cars.”

Parry’s 2014 campaign has yet to ignite with only one cut made from three tournaments.

But the Qatar Masters is a tournament that holds happy memories for him after a 12th-place finish three years ago.

That earned him a cheque for more than £20,000, with a victory this week worth £250,000 – more than enough to purchase his dream car.

“I know I can shoot low around here having shot 67 in the final round in 2011 to climb up the leaderboard,” said Parry, whose sole win on tour came in October 2010.

“The wind here in Doha is going to be a big influence this week but I don’t mind that as I always feel I play better when faced with a breeze.

“I was disappointed to have the weekend off in Abu Dhabi, especially after only missing the cut by one shot, but I did not deserve too much better because while my driving accuracy improved I hit some poor iron shots from the middle of the fairways.”

England’s Chris Wood returns to the scene of his finest hour this week looking to revive some of the old memories.

Wood claimed his first European Tour title 12 months ago in stunning fashion, making an eagle three on the final hole to beat Sergio Garcia and George Coetzee by a shot.

“It’s one of our best events on tour, the course suits me but it’s going to be a new experience for me defending a title,” he said.

Wood will partner Miguel Angel Jimenez and Darren Clarke in the first two rounds, with the star trio of Luke Donald, Henrik Stenson and US PGA champion Jason Dufner in the group behind.

Hull’s Richard Finch continues to cash in on the good form he showed at the start of the 2014 season by earning a sponsors’ invite into the tournament. The 36-year-old from Hull lost his card last season but won enough on sponsors invites in South Africa and Hong Kong in December to almost win it back for next year.

Danny Willett was in the first group out this morning, looking to build on his 19th-place finish in Abu Dhabi, with Malton’s Simon Dyson also in action.