Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: Ryan Fox surged up to second in the Road to Oman Rankings after equaling the Galgorm Castle Golf Club course record in the Tayto Northern Ireland Open in partnership with Ulster Bank. The victory was made all the sweeter by the fact that it also secured his spot in the season-ending NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, which takes place in Oman at the spectacular Almouj Golf, Muscat, from November 2 to 5.
The New Zealander shot a sensational 19-under par to earn a winner’s cheque for €27,200 that guarantees his spot in the prestigious season-finale which is only eligible for the top 45 players on the Road to Oman Rankings. The win, his second on the Challenge Tour after claiming last year’s Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, provided the 29-year-old with the perfect springboard from which to launch his bid for success as he heads to Rio to represent his country as golf makes its long awaited return to the Olympic Games later this month.
“I couldn’t have played any better and it’s nice to go into the Olympics with some form,” said Fox. “It’s always a good feeling to win.
“There are three Challenge Tour players and a lot of ex-Challenge Tour players going there (Rio). It shows the quality of this Tour, and hopefully I can join the upper echelon of the guys who have graduated from the Challenge Tour.”
South African Dylan Frittelli, Englishman Max Orrin, who won the 2014 NBO Golf Classic, and German duo Bernd Ritthammer and Dominic Foos all finished joint-second in Northern Ireland and clinched 12,325 points on the Road to Oman (with one euro in prize-money equal to one Road to Oman point). This helped Frittelli climb into the coveted top 15 from 21st and Ritthammer moved closer to the summit of the Rankings, now up to fourth place from eighth.
Youngsters Orrin and Foos climbed up into 36th and 37th from 64th and 66th respectively as they continue their quest to make the field for the season-ending tournament in November.
As well as a share of a €400,000 prize fund on offer for victory in the prestigious NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, the top 15 players on the Road to Oman Rankings following the conclusion of the tournament will earn their playing cards for next season’s European Tour International Schedule. In addition, the top three players will also win a share of the lucrative €60,000 Bonus Pool.
England’s Jordan L Smith still leads the Road to Oman with 75,694 points from 12 events played having claimed his maiden Challenge Tour title at the Red Sea Egyptian Challenge Presented by Hassan Allam Properties in April. Latest Challenge Tour winner Fox is in second place with 69,862 points, while Frenchman Romain Langasque is in third on 68,336 and Ritthammer sits in fourth on 67,794 points.
