Muscat: Clement Sordet shot 15-under par to win the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final by two strokes over Marcus Kinhult at Al Mouj Golf Club in Muscat on Saturday, while Tapio Pulkkanen was crowned Road to Oman champion as the pair, along with 12 other European Challenge Tour talents, earned promotion to the European Tour.
Although he finished two over par in 35th place in Muscat, Pulkkanen topped the Road to Oman rankings with an impressive season total of 210,799,12 points. Victory in the Kazakhstan Open and three runner-up finishes were the highlights of his remarkable season.
The Finnish star, who is known for his distinctive trilby hat, was delighted to be named Challenge Tour No. 1 and is relishing a swift return to Muscat when Al Mouj Golf hosts a European Tour tournament for the first time next February.
“I’m so excited to play on the European Tour next season because it’s a whole new world to me,” he said. “I’m looking forward to returning here in Muscat in February when it hosts a European Tour event for the first time. I’ve just got to make sure I’m a little bit more conservative with my style than I was this week.”
Meanwhile, Sordet was thrilled to finish his season in style, earning a winner’s cheque for €71,600 (Dh305,238). The Frenchman said: “To finish with a win in Oman is amazing. I would say this victory is the highlight of my career so far and is a fantastic way to finish the season.”
Closely behind Sordet was Kinhult two strokes behind on 13 under par. The Swede climbed from 10th to fifth on the Road to Oman standings and said he felt the pressure of playing in a Grand Final helped his performance.
“I like the big events when the pressure is on like this because it brings the best out in my game,” he said. “The beautiful Al Mouj Golf course was set up great for me so I thoroughly enjoyed the week and got good vibes from this place.”
Drama was inevitable in the Road to Oman final with only 15 European Tour cards up for grabs. The two unlucky professionals that missed out were Sebastian Heisele and Robin Scot-Siegrist as they were replaced by Scott Fernandez who climbed from 22nd to 14th with a tied-third finish and Bradley Neil who took the 15th and final spot by finishing tied for ninth.
