Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Marcus Armitage’s inaugural European Challenge Tour victory in the big-money Foshan Open catapulted him from 53rd to 11th in the Road to Oman Rankings and sealed his spot amongst the top 45 in the season-ending NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, set to take place at the spectacular Almouj Golf from November 2 to 5.
The Englishman finished 19-under, one ahead of France’s Matthieu Pavon and Germany’s Alexander Knappe to claim a winner’s cheque for €72,333.
The sizeable winner’s cheque has all but assured his spot in the all-important top 15 on the Rankings,which earns him a coveted European Tour card for next season. However, the 29-year-old has a bigger aim for the season.
“I want to go and win the Rankings,” said Armitage, a rookie on the Challenge Tour who now has 103,208 points for the season.
“Now I have pretty much secured a European Tour card that is my goal – there is nowhere else to go.”
In addition, it was a fantastic weekend for last week’s Hainan Open champion Knappe as he usurped Englishman Jordan L Smith from the summit of the Road to Oman Rankings after finishing joint runner-up with Pavon. The latter also had reason to cheer after he climbed from tenth spot into fifth place in the Rankings in very much in the hunt for glory.
As well as a share of a €400,000 prize fund on offer for victory in the prestigious NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, the top three players will also win a share of the lucrative €60,000 Bonus Pool.
This week, the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Golf Challenge takes place at Al Hamra Golf Club offering players a final chance to make the top 45 in the Rankings in order to gain a place in the Oman field.
