Aaron Rai comes into this week’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final on the very edge of the top 16 and a European Tour card, but the Englishman is not dwelling on what is at stake in Oman.
After graduating onto the European Challenge Tour through finishing in the top five on the satellite EuroPro Tour last year, the 21 year old has enjoyed a stellar rookie season, notching up six top-ten finishes to reach 17thspot in the Road to Oman Rankings.
During a consistent campaign where the man from the Midlands has only missed three cuts in 22 starts, the young Englishman has shown maturity beyond his years to put himself into contention for a European Tour card with one event to go.
With just under 5,000 points between Rai and Thomas Detry in 14thplace, it really is all to play for at Al Mouj Golf this week – but the man on the bubble is solely focused on his last four rounds on the 2016 Road to Oman.
“I am feeling good coming into this week,” he said. “Although it is the last tournament of the year you still have to treat it as you would any other tournament and try not to think too much about what is at stake.
“I try not to go into competitions with any expectations results-wise as I think it is important to focus on what you do each week in terms of preparation, rather than let your focus drift to what a good result might do.
“The course this week looks really good, and the set up here is excellent. They have been a bit unfortunate with the greens, but despite that the course is looking in fantastic shape and it should be a brilliant week.
“It has been a really good year overall. After coming up from the EuroPro Tour I have been very happy with how I have managed to adapt to the Challenge Tour. Regardless of the result this week, I think my season has been a very successful one.”
