With the top 45 players on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah meeting for the final event of the season, we take a closer look at the quality field set to do battle in the Middle East.
Leading the way at the summit of the Rankings is Joachim B. Hansen. In a nutshell the 28 year old has been outstanding this term, with two victories, five top five and nine top ten finishes giving the Dane a huge lead of 47,024 points going into the season-ending event.
With 184,260 points already banked Hansen can also make history in Ras Al Khaimah. A victory would see him break the record for the largest points haul in a single Challenge Tour season –Ricardo Gouveiais the current holder of that title after he earned 251,592 points when he topped the Rankings in 2015.
Following their recent successes in China,Victor PerezandKalle Samooja, who triumphed at the Foshan Open and Hainan Open respectively, are Hansen’s closest challengers in second and third place in the Rankings, while Sweden’sSebastian Soderberg– a winner in Italy this season – sits just 1,226 points behind Samooja in fourth place.
Road to Ras Al Khaimah Number SixKim Koivu, who triumphed in China, Finland and Switzerland to graduate to the European Tour in August via the three-win promotion rule, returns to action on Europe’s top developmental tour.
Grant Forrest, who sits in eighth place in the Rankings, will go in search of a first Challenge Tour win after three runner-up finishes this season, as will Spain’sAdri Arnaus, who has shown remarkable consistency this year, with 14 top-20 results in 21 starts leaving him ninth on the Road to Ras Al Khaimah.
Scotland’sLiam Johnston, a two-time winner this season, can match Koivu’s trophy haul with another victory in Ras Al Khaimah, whileLorenzo Gagli, who is one of only three players along with Samooja and Koivu that have been inside the top 15 for the duration of the season, will look to add to his Barclays Kenya Open triumph in the desert.
The battle for the final places inside the top 15 will go down to the wire, with just 18,106 points separating 12thplacedDavid LawandOliver Wilson, who currently sits in 18thin the Rankings.
Expect the fiercest of competitions in the UAE, as all of the field have shown that they are more than capable of challenging for the title –20 winnersfrom this season will tee it up next week.
Calum Hill, who comes into the week with the best stroke average in the field at 69.20 this season, currently resides in 31stplace in the Rankings, one place behind fellow countrymanEwen Ferguson, who has recorded seven top ten finishes in his rookie Challenge Tour campaign – only Hansen has made more.
As is always the case any player in the top 45 can secure a European Tour card by triumphing in the Grand Final.Antoine Rozner, the 45thand final man into the event, goes into the week 41,721 points behind England’sTom Murray, currently the last man inside the top 15.
