As the leading 45 European Challenge Tour players arrive in Muscat for the season-closing NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, attention is drawn to the top of the Road to Oman Rankings, where four players have a chance of finishing in first spot.
Ricardo Gouveiais the current Rankings leader, and for much of the season looked to have made the top spot hisown, with victory at the AEGEAN Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort supplemented by an incredible ten further top ten finishes.
The Portuguese 24 year old’s relentless consistency – he has only missed one cut in 19 appearances all year – was momentarily trumped by French brilliance asSebastien Grostook victory at the Kazakhstan Open to leapfrog him in the Rankings.
The win in Kazakhstan – the biggest prize fund of the Challenge Tour season – was 25 year old Gros’ second victory this year, following his maiden triumph on home soil at the Najeti Open Presented by Neuflize OBC.
Three further top five finishes helped cement his position at the top end of the Rankings, though Gouveia’s tied third at the Foshan Open edged him ahead once again by just €3,980.
One man determined to gate-crash this season-long two-horse race isBorja Virto Astudillo, fresh from victory in China that guaranteed his European Tour spot for next season.
The Spaniard also won the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge and four further top ten finishes mean the 24 year old trails Gouveia by €22,160 – victory in the NBO Grand Final, with its top prize of €64,000, would secure Virto Astudillo the top spot if Gouveia finished third or lower.
And we must not overlook the chances ofBjӧrn Åkesson, whose runner-up finish in China saw the Swede jump up to fourth place in the Rankings.
The 26 year old is €56,000 behind Gouveia, so would need to win the NBO Grand Final and rely on his nearest rivals finishing low down in the field if he were to finish at the top of the Rankings – an outside chance, perhaps, but a chance nonetheless.
An additional €60,000 Road to Oman bonus pool is on offer for the players finishing the year in the top three in the Rankings, with €30,000 going to the winner, €20,000 to the runner-up and €10,000 to the third placed player.
