Scott Henry returns to Muscat hoping he can channel the disappointment he felt there last year, after he narrowly missed out on a European Tour card at the 2015 NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.
The Scotsman thought he had secured a place in the top 15 after signing for a five under par final round at Al Mouj Golf, but after a series of dramatic twists, he was pipped to 15thspot by his fellow countryman Jamie McLeary.
Now back in the Middle East, the 29 year old believes he is a stronger person after coming so close – and is looking to draw upon last year’s experience this week.
“When I finished my final round here last year I holed a six-foot par putt and I thought it would be enough to get my card,” he said.
“I wasn’t sure if it would be enough, but after shooting five under in the last round I was very happy as I played great. I couldn’t have asked anymore of myself in the final round. Shooting five under while everyone else was panicking did give me a lot of confidence, and I did take a lot from it.
“I remember saying to a Scottish journalist at the time ‘I don’t know whether that will be good enough, but deep down I know that I am proud of myself’. It was just unfortunate that it wasn’t quite enough.”
Henry, who currently sits in 32ndplace in the Road to Oman Rankings, arrives at the Greg Norman-designed course needing a win if he is to secure a return to the European Tour.
The European Challenge Tour champion is confident with his current form, and is heading into this week open-minded about what he needs to achieve in the final event on Europe’s top developmental tour this season.
“I could definitely do with something better this year – as I think I need to win to earn a card for next year,” he said.
“There is a bit more of a premium on hitting the ball tee to green this week, whereas last week in Ras Al Khaimah it was more about how many putts you could convert.
“Overall I am feeling pretty good. I have been playing pretty solid and not really shooting any high scores – I have just been playing some really steady golf. It has just been a pocket of holes in a tournament that has been costing me.
“During one round in the Foshan Open I was five over for my first five holes, and although I got it back to level par, which was a good fightback, if you go five over on a low scoring week you are never going to contend.
“That is basically what has been costing me, switching off for an hour over 72 holes which takes you out of a tournament.
“I haven’t really thought about next year to be honest. I have a lot of things coming up, I am getting married at Christmas, but I know that by the end of this week I know where I’ll need to be golf-wise.”
