BRADLEY Dredge (pictured) has given up any hope of qualifying for the prestigious Masters in Augusta this year by staying at home in Blackwood and watching the European Tour's latest event on the television.

Blackwood-raised Dredge has decided not to go to Qatar, which is only a few hundred miles down the Saudi Arabian peninsula from Iraq, and is resting up before the season really comes alive.

But Dredge did take quite a bit of advice from the Foreign Office before choosing against flying to the Middle East.

However, he admits that by not competing in Qatar, he has ended his chances of making Augusta.

Dredge said: "I needed to be in the top 50 in the world to get in the Masters this year and that would have meant I would have had to play Dubai and Qatar to give myself the chance of getting enough world ranking points.

"At the beginning of the year, I just missed out on the World Golf Championships event but, if I was going to play in the Masters or wanted to challenge for the World Golf Championships event, I would have gone to somewhere like Singapore or Australia to get the points.

"But it's my own choice to take some time off and take a break from the golf."

Dredge finished an excellent 20th in Dubai last weekend even though, remarkably, there were three other Welshmen above him in Ian Woosnam, David Park and Bassaleg-based Phil Price.

Nevertheless, he still had a chance of breaking into that top 50 if he did even better than his Dubai effort in Qatar.

But he added: "I had to decide before I went to Dubai if I was going to Qatar because I had to book flights.

"And even if I had gone to Qatar, I would probably have had to win it or come second to get to the Masters.

"It would probably have been a big ask but I will hit back. It would be great to play in the Masters this year, but that will come next year now."

Dredge is heading out to the sun in Maderia soon for his next tournament but, in the meantime, he is putting his feet up at home.

He added: "It's good to be here for a while with my wife."