Tom Murray’s inspirational play-off victory over Nino Bertasio in the Volopa Irish Challenge hosted by Mount Wolseley Hotel Spa and Golf Resort paid off handsomely for the Englishman with a guaranteed spot in the European Challenge Tour’s season-ending NBO Golf Classic Grand Final which takes place at the spectacular Almouj Golf, The Wave, Muscat, fromNovember 4 - 7.
The top 45 players on the Road to Oman Rankings qualify to compete in the prestigious finale and Murray’s victory sees him move from 78thplace into 31st.
As well as a share of €375,000 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.
Murray’s marvelous play-off victory has more than doubled his prize money for the season and the 25 year old, who has also played on The European Tour this season, now has a total of €45,819 after winning €28,800 in Ireland, which is enough to secure his place in the Muscat field.
Before this triumph, Murray’s best performance this season was a sixth-place finish in Portugal’s, Madeira Islands Open, so he’s delighted with how he handled the play-off pressure to secure his first European Challenge Tour title in dramatic fashion.
“It’s kind of surreal right now but it’s what I’ve been working for,” said Tom, who is the son of former European Open champion and current Senior Tour player Andrew Murray. “I had a couple of good days working at home and mentally preparing for this. Mentally I was in a much better place and to get a first win is big.”
Runner-up Bertasio, who tied Murray’s 16-under total in regulation, now sits just short of the Road to Oman’s top 45 in 47thplace. Englishman Gary Boyd finished closely behind the leaders on 14-under to bolster him into the top four in The Road to Oman after earning €12,600. He will now be full of confidence for the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final in less than a month’s time.
Fans can now find out everything they need to know about the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final by visiting the newly launched tournament website:www.nbogolf.com
