Ahead of the inaugural NBO Oman Open we profile three players to consider for your Race to Dubai fantasy team.
Favourite: Alex Levy
There arguably isn't a player who is keener to play in The Ryder Cup at Le Golf National this September than flamboyant Frenchman Alex Levy. He arrives in Oman this week as the top ranked player in the field (62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking) and has already shown promising signs that his game is trending in the right direction after 4th and 7th place finishes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively last month.
The performance in Dubai was particularly encouraging. Levy has noted that he spent a lot of his off-season in December working on his putting, his Achilles' heel last season. He finished Dubai ranked 29th in putting, a vast improvement from last season where he was 57th in the same category.
For players in Levy's position in the world rankings, striving to make the Ryder Cup team, cementing his position in the world top 50 will be paramount. A good week this week will get Levy into the World Golf Championship in Mexico and set him up for a big year ahead.
Form Horse: Pablo Larrazábal
Despite a week off, it might be fair to say nobody comes into the week with more momentum than the 34 year old. After just making the cut in Malaysia, Larrazábal proceeded to propel himself up the leaderboard without dropping a single shot over the weekend, resulting in a T3 finish. Whatever the Spaniard found on the range at the Maybank Championship, he’s definitely one to watch this week in Oman.
With the golf course located along the Gulf of Oman, many expect a ball striker to prevail this week. Larrazábal ranks 17th in greens in regulation after his three this season. Furthermore Pablo is no stranger to winning in this part of the world having won his third of four European Tour victories at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in 2014.
Wildcard: Clément Sordet
While new to the European Tour schedule, Oman has had a rich Challenge Tour history, staging the finale of their season for the past three seasons. Clément Sordet – the winner of the event last November is starting to find his feet after already making a solid start to his European Tour rookie season. The Frenchman, who has already racked up a top 10 in the season-opening event, the UBS Hong Kong Open, is returning to the Al Mouj Course four months after his Challenge Tour victory and will undoubtedly start the week optimistic.
Think you've got what it takes to pick a winning team? Time to register your side for our season-long game by clicking here. Good luck!
