Orrin excited to be back in Oman
Having triumphed by three strokes from fellow countryman Jason Palmer with a seven-under-par total at Almouj Golf last year, Orrin is a big fan of the Greg Normandesigned layout and believes it provides a fitting stage for the season-ending showdown
MUSCAT: Englishman Max Orrin is delighted to be back in Oman for the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final and relishing his return to the stunning Almouj Golf in Muscat, scene of his maiden victory last year.
The European Challenge Tour event, which began life in 2013, has for the past two years been the penultimate tournament of the season, but has this year been elevated to become the seasonending finale.
The prestigious tournament is only open to the top 45 players on the newly coined ‘Road to Oman Rankings’ and as well as prize fund of €375,000, European Tour cards for next season will be awarded to the top 15 players on the Rankings at the conclusion of the event.
Orrin is currently ranked 21st, but only €8,569 behind John Hahn who is in 15th place, and with €64,000 on offer for the winner of the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, it could prove a life changing week for the 21-year-old.
“It’s exciting for sure,” Orrin, who won this season’s Made in Denmark Challenge, said.
“To have the event as the final tournament of the season, with such a lot at stake, is a good opportunity for me and hopefully I can reproduce some of the form from last year and have another good finish.”
Having triumphed by three strokes from fellow countryman Jason Palmer with a seven-underpar total at Almouj Golf last year, Orrin is a big fan of the Greg Norman-designed layout and believes it provides a fitting stage for the season-ending showdown.
“It’s one of those courses where you don’t need to make a lot of birdies – it’s just about limiting the damage, limiting the bogeys,” he said. “I think I had maybe two or three dropped shots all week last year. I didn’t have any doubles. I was only dropping a few and just getting it round and playing par golf.
“You need to have some good pace on the greens because you’re going to have some long putts on this course. It’s a ball striker’s course and if you can putt well too I think that’s the key around here.
“I think all of the players appreciate how good the golf course is and how good the event is. In comparison to the rest of the courses we play throughout the year it’s one of the best. “You want a tough course for the Grand Final; you want to earn the right to be the champion. There’s so much that can still change on the Road to Oman Rankings so it’s all set up for an exciting end to the season.”
Orrin also believes that after two impressive editions as the penultimate event on the schedule, the tournament is well deserving of its promotion to become the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.
“NBO look after us very well,” he said. “The food, the hospitality, everything from the day we arrive is first class and I’m sure it’ll be even better this year now that the event is the Grand Final.”
Meanwhile, the battle to be named European Challenge Tour Number One is set to be a captivating one with Ricardo Gouveia leading the Road to Oman Rankings by just €3,980 from good friend Sebastien Gros. Third placed Borja Virto Astudillo, who won The Foshan Open recently, and fourth placed Bjorn Akesson, could also take top honours if other results go their way. Tuesday’s Pro-Am signalled the curtain raiser for the tournament week at Almouj Golf with the team led by Jens Dantorp winning the morning event.
The first round of the 2015 NBO Golf Classic Grand Final gets underway at Almouj Golf at 7.30 a.m. on Wednesday.