With just two events left to play in The 2015 Road to Oman, the stars of this European Challenge Tour season are shaping up for a potentially career-changing month. Here are some of the storylines to watch out for as the season edges towards a dramatic climax.
No pressure?
Jens Fahrbring may well be sitting in fifth place in the Road to Oman after a crucial tied third place finish at the Kazakhstan Open, but he does not feel one bit safe in his quest for graduation to The European Tour.
“After Kazakhstan people were telling me you’re safe,” he said. “But I don’t feel safe at all, you’re looking back in the Rankings and you see all these guys playing well. So it’s almost more pressure now than before Kazakshtan and I felt that in Italy (at the EMC Golf Challenge) and in Ireland too.”
If the Swede is feeling like the race is not yet run, what must those behind him be feeling heading into the penultimate event of the campaign?
Pressure? What pressure?
Feeling the heat - Jens Fahrbring
Boyd’s victory mission
Gary Boyd is well-renowned for his superlative ball striking and he has been putting that to very good use this year, virtually guaranteeing promotion to The European Tour courtesy of two top five finishes in his last two events.
But, with those shackles shaken off, he heads east to China and Oman with another mission on his mind – to join the winners’ circle in this turnaround season for the Englishman.
“I think I’m definitely a bit more relaxed now and some of the guys that are just around the top 15 or top 45 have a little bit more pressure,” said the close friend of Ian Poulter. “It would be nice to get a win out here, I’ve been close a couple of times so to win would be special.”
Boyd is one of five players within the top 15 who are yet to win this Challenge Tour season and for most, victory in either of the final two events would be life-changing.
It is one of the many subplots that await over the next month.
Hoping to kick on - Gary Boyd
The bubble boys
For so many players, a career’s worth of hard work comes down to the final two events of the Challenge Tour season and no more so than those just around the top 15.
Those trying to lay a path to the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final at the very least by securing at top 45 position in the Road to Oman by the conclusion of next week’s Foshan Open will have plentiful inspiration from the stories of the previous two winners in China.
The last two champions have had their worlds turned upside down at Foshan Golf Club. Last year’s champion Jason Palmer was 51st in the Rankings prior to his win while 2013 inner Elvira was 50th, and for both it was a result which secured rookie season on The European Tour.
A fairytale win for Jason Palmer in The 2014 Foshan Open
A right turn on the long and winding Road to Oman
The Challenge Tour’s Grand Final takes place in Oman’s capital city of Muscat for the first time this year and it is a tournament which never fails to produce fairytale stories.
The top 45 players on the Rankings at the conclusion of The Foshan Open will secure their place at the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final and once they are there, anything can happen.
In 2012, Englishman James Busby proved just what can be achieved at the season finale. He began the week in 45th position – the last man in – and after a runner-up finish, he had earned a dream ticket to The European Tour.
Every shot counts next week and the dream is not over until it’s over.
Let the games commence!
