Road to Oman update - six events to go

After a relentless five months of non-stop golf, the European Challenge Tour takes a much-needed break for the next fortnight – giving us the chance to take stock of the season so far as the 2016 Road to Oman looks set to be one of the closest-fought contests in memory.

With just six events to go – and still more than two million points to be won – there is everything to play for as players look to seal places in the limited-field final series tournaments and, ultimately, graduate to the European Tour by finishing in the top 15 of the Road to Oman Rankings.

Here we trace the story of the season so far, and look ahead at what may happen in the coming weeks – the road is long but the end is nigh…

Stop, it’s double Hammertime

Before last week’s Volopa Irish Challenge hosted by Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, we had seen 20 different winners of the preceding 20 events – a Challenge Tour record for the longest run into a season with no repeat champion.

Germany’s Bernd Ritthammer put an emphatic end to that sequence with a dominant five-shot victory in Carlow to add to his triumph in the Made in Denmark Challenge – Presented by Ejner Hessel and climb to the top of the Road to Oman Rankings.

The 29 year old is more than 50,000 points clear of Sam Walker in 15^thplace, a healthy cushion, but with so many points still on offer, Ritthammer will not take a European Tour card for granted until the final putt has dropped at the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.

You lead, I’ll follow

With his win in Ireland, Ritthammer became the third different player in the space of three weeks to top the Road to Oman Rankings, highlighting how tight and competitive the 2016 season is.

Romain Langasque took the top spot following his runner-up finish at the Vierumӓki Finnish Challenge but only held it for three weeks before Jordan Smith regained it after a run of three top ten finishes in a row, culminating in a fourth place at the Cordon Golf Open.

Smith has held the Number One position for more than half of the season so far – 11 weeks in total – with Barclays Kenya Open champion Sebastian Soderberg and France’s Matthieu Pavon the other players to lead the Road to Oman this year.

Ultimately this means that, unlike in previous years where one or two players have dominated the Rankings, this season most of the points have been shared out – which in all likelihood will mean more points than ever before will be required to finish inside the top 15.

Walker running up the road

Any number of players will still be targeting a big finish to the season to propel them up into the top 15 of the Rankings and into the promised land of the European Tour, and Walker is an example of how it can be done.

The Englishman was down in 90^thposition heading out to Finland but victory there, followed by top five finishes at the Rolex Trophy and the Volopa Irish Challenge, have helped him climb 75 places in a month to revive his hopes of a return to the European Tour.

The top 45 will head to Muscat knowing that, with €400,000 on offer, and €64,000 for the winner, it is never too late for a bolter to emerge and seal a top 15 spot at the 11^thhour – Walker has made his move early, but shown how quickly a timely run of form can transfer to a Rankings surge.

Alex wide awake

One man certainly not caught napping in recent weeks is Alexander Knappe, one of the form horses cantering towards the top as we approach the last few turns of the Road to Oman.

The German took a maiden Challenge Tour title at the Swiss Challenge presented by Association Suisse de Golf in June and will feel he could have added another after carrying a five-shot lead into the final round of the Cordon Golf Open.

However, that runner-up finish, along with ties for sixth in the Swedish Challenge hosted by Robert Karlsson and the Bridgestone Challenge, have taken the 27 year old to fourth spot in the Rankings.

The kids are alright

The Challenge Tour prides itself on developing the very best young golfing talent and the 2016 Road to Oman is certainly showing that to be the case.

Langasque is still only 21 years of age, as is Aaron Rai who currently holds 11^thposition in the Rankings, while Smith and Pavon are both 23 years old.

Also 23 is Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who smashed Challenge Tour records with his incredible 12-shot victory at the Bridgestone Challenge not even three months after turning professional at his home event, the KPMG Trophy.

Only two of the top 15 – Duncan Stewart, at 32, and 38 year old Walker – are over the age of 30, meaning that Europe’s top developmental tour is proving the old adage that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.