Heroes will be made when the dust settles on this week's NBO Golf Classic Grand Final. The top 15 players in the Road to Oman Rankings by this time next week will be safe in the knowledge that they will be playing among the golfing elite on The European Tour in 2016. We profile our heroes in waiting, the men currently occupying those coveted spots...
Ricardo Gouveia
RtO Ranking: 1
Age: 24
Nationality:Portuguese
CT wins: Two (one in 2015)
2015 top tens: 11
2015 winnings: €157,592
Did you know? Gouveia is the highest-ranked Portuguese golfer in history, currently in 113th position
Sebastien Gros
RtO Ranking: 2
Age: 25
Nationality: French
CT wins: 2 (both in 2015)
2015 top tens: 5
2015 winnings: €153,612
Did you know? Gros’ six-shot win at the Najeti Open Presented by Neuflize OBC is the biggest winning margin this season
Borja Virto Astudillo
RtO Ranking: 3
Age: 24
Nationality:Spanish
CT wins: 2 (both in 2015)
2015 top tens:6
2015 winnings:€135,432
Did you know? Hails from Pamplona, the home of the famous annual bull run
Bjӧrn Åkesson
RtO Ranking: 4
Age: 26
Nationality: Swedish
CT wins: 0
2015 top tens: 5
2015 winnings: €101,101
Did you know? Played for Arizona State University, whose alumni include Phil Mickelson and Paul Casey
Nacho Elvira
RtO Ranking: 5
Age: 28
Nationality: Spanish
CT wins:4 (3 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 3
2015 winnings: €94,545
Did you know? Elvira’s victory in the ROLEX Trophy, his third of the season, earned him immediate promotion to The European Tour
Gary Boyd
RtO Ranking: 6
Age: 29
Nationality: English
CT wins:1 (0 in 2015)
2015 top tens:6
2015 winnings: €93,682
Did you know? Boyd is a close friend of clubmate at Woburn, Ian Poulter, and credits advice from the Englishman and his fellow Ryder Cup heroes Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell for sparking his return to form
Jens Fahrbring
RtO Ranking: 7
Age: 31
Nationality: Swedish
CT wins:2 (1 in 2015)
2015 top tens:3
2015 winnings: €83,356
Did you know? Shared the lead after round three of last month’s 72° OPEN D'ITALIA presented by DAMIANI, alongside Martin Kaymer and Romain Wattel, eventually finishing in a share of third
Rhys Davies
RtO Ranking: 8
Age: 30
Nationality: Welsh
CT wins:4 (2 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 3
2015 winnings: €82,992
Did you know? Had to choose between playing cricket or golf professionally as a teenager, having represented Glamorgan and Wales in the former
Thomas Linard
RtO Ranking: 9
Age: 27
Nationality: French
CT wins: 1 (0 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 4
2015 winnings: €82,958
Did you know? Has not finished outside of the top 25 in his last seven Challenge Tour appearances, while both of his runner-up finishes this year have come on home soil
Andrew McArthur
RtO Ranking: 10
Age: 36
Nationality: Scottish
CT wins: 2 (0 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 3
2015 winnings: €79,485
Did you know? Beat Scott Jamieson in the final to win the 2002 Scottish Amateur Championship, joining the likes of Colin Montgomerie and Stephen Gallacher on the famous trophy
Jamie McLeary
RtO Ranking: 11
Age: 34
Nationality: Scottish
CT wins: 2 (1 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 5
2015 winnings: €77,993
Did you know? Is a die-hard Arsenal fan as well as a self-confessed petrol head, claiming that if he had the money he would spend more on cars than Ian Poulter
Ryan Fox
RtO Ranking: 12
Age: 28
Nationality: New Zealander
CT wins: 1 (1 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 5
2015 winnings: €74,565
Did you know? Is the son of former All Blacks rugby legend, Grant, who won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987
Haydn Porteous
RtO Ranking: 13
Age: 21
Nationality: South African
CT wins: 1 (1 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 4
2015 winnings:€74,033
Did you know? As an amateur in South Africa, Porteous won the South African Stroke Play in 2012 before retaining it with victory the following year
Daniel Im
RtO Ranking: 14
Age: 30
Nationality: American
CT wins: 1 (1 in 2015)
2015 top tens: 2
2015 winnings: €72,806
Did you know? Proposed to his fiancée at Rome’s Spanish Steps ahead of this year’s EMC Challenge Open
John Hahn
RtO Ranking: 15
Age: 26
Nationality: American
CT wins: 0
2015 top tens: 4
2015 winnings: €72,720
Did you know?
Shot an incredible round of 58 at the Final Qualifying Stage at PGA Catalunya Resort last year, although it did not officially count due to the use of preferred lies
