Oman Golf: NBO Golf Classic Grand Final field complete

Sports Monday 31/October/2016 14:12 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman Golf: NBO Golf Classic Grand Final field complete

Muscat: The conclusion of the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Golf Challenge on Saturday, which took winner Jordan L Smith back to the summit of the Road to Oman Rankings, meant that the final field for this week’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final was confirmed. The European Challenge Tour’s season-ending showdown, which will take place at the stunning Almouj Golf from November 2 to 5, features the top 45 players on the Rankings. As well as a lucrative prize fund of €400,000, the players will compete for a life-changing exemption to play on next season’s elite European Tour, with cards awarded to the top 15 ranked players after the conclusion of the tournament. The top three players on the rankings will also share in a Bonus Pool of €60,000. Englishman Smith, who won by one from Jose Filipe Lima in Ras Al Khaimah to earn 50,722 points which took his season-total to 204,622, is already guaranteed promotion to the top tier, but the 23 year old has set his sights on ending the season as No.1 in Muscat this week. “I’m feeling really good at the moment which is great leading up the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final in Oman,” said Smith, who also won the Red Sea Egyptian Challenge Presented by Hassan Allam Properties earlier this season. “I’ve been hitting the ball well and putting really consistently so I’m pleased with how my game is shaping up. I’ve never played Almouj Golf before so I’m excited to test it out. I’ve spoken to a few people about the course and they said 18 is a cracker so I’m excited about getting there and competing for the top spot in the Road to Oman.” Portugal’s Lima put together a scorching finish with two birdies over the final two holes in Ras Al Khaima for a closing 65, enough for second place on his own which earned him 34,871 points and saw him shoot up from 24th to 11th place on the Rankings. Former Dubai resident Johan Edfors put himself in with a great chance of a return to the European Tour will a third place finish in Ras Al Khaimah to earn 22,191 points which saw him move from 41st place to 24th on the Road to Oman Rankings. “With victory in Rome Terre dei Consoli Open a few weeks ago and a third-place finish at the weekend, my game is obviously shaping up nicely which is good news” said Edfors, who has won three titles on the European Tour. “I still need a great finish in Oman to earn that Tour card. This was only my eighth tournament so I’m happy to be in with a shout after that. Almouj has a really good layout and is a great course to play if you handle the windy conditions. We get looked after well there so it’s a fantastic tournament to finish the season at.” At the other end of the table, Germany’s Moritz Lampert, who gained automatic promotion to the European Tour after three winning three times on the 2014 Challenge Tour, made two birdies over his last three holes to finish at 9 under par in a share of 32nd place, which saw him move to 45th place on the Rankings to secure the final place in this week’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final Field. Smith’s rival for the Rankings top spot is Germany’s Alexander Knappe, winner of the Hainan Open in China two weeks ago, who sits in second place on 172,375 points. The 15 players who win promotion to the European Tour this week will follow in the footsteps of some of the game’s biggest names who began their careers on the Challenge Tour such as Major champions Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.