The 46 players gathering in Muscat for this week’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final will not have to look too far back in the history books to find inspiration ahead of the conclusion of the 2016 Road to Oman.
One year ago, Ricardo Gouveia arrived at Al Mouj Golf as the Number One player in the Rankings and in an incredible display of late drama, the Portuguese lived up to his top billing.
After treading water for the first 63 holes, Gouveia produced irresistible golf on the final afternoon, reeling off five straight birdies to close with a round of 65 that took him to 13 under par and ultimately a one-shot victory.
A dual celebration of both the tournament trophy and the Road to Oman Rankings shield put the seal on a record-breaking year as 12 top tens in 17 events – including two victories – earned Gouveia €251,592, beating Edoardo Molinari’s previous best, an achievement he remains understandably proud of.
“It was very special,” said the 25 year old. “I knew going into the week I needed a solid week to finish on top of the Rankings and I felt like my game wasn’t quite 100% all week.
“Then on the back nine, starting on 12, something clicked and I made five birdies in a row and had a nice up-and-down on the last to win, it was really special.”
Stepping up to the European Tour, with the added expectation stemming from his Challenge Tour exploits last year, has made 2016 a challenge at times for Gouveia in his maiden season in the Race to Dubai.
After strong early-season performances in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, it was not until August that a top ten in the Made in Denmark secured his European Tour card for next year.
This week in Muscat will see 16 Challenge Tour players graduate to join him, and Gouveia acknowledges the Road to Oman’s intensity and quality for preparing him for European Tour life.
“It’s very competitive,” he said. “You need to play well every week to finish first in the Rankings and sometimes just to have a chance of getting a Tour card.
“You need to be consistently playing well, not many off weeks, you need to be on top of your game, and to be able to do that throughout the whole season and to finish first was very satisfying.
“My advice for the guys this week is that you’ve got to just keep your foot down on the pedal, don’t relax – there’s a lot of very hungry guys behind the top players and you need to keep going
“First is better than second in the Rankings, it was hard even for me and the top three players to get into some events this year, so keep playing and try to finish as high as you can.”
