Wednesday 15 / January / 2025
Muscat: Sam Walker overcame hugely testing weather conditions to emerge triumphant in the Kazakhstan Open at Zhailjau Golf Resort and claim his second European Challenge Tour title of the season, which catapults him up to second in the Road to Oman Rankings and sets him up perfectly for a tilt at glory in the fast-approaching season-ending NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.
The NBO Golf Classic Grand Final will take place at the spectacular Almouj Golf from November 2 to 5.
The Englishman was sitting in 15th position in the season-rankings prior to the win which earned him 72,000 points and leaves him only 17,729 points behind his compatriot and current leader, Jordan Smith, with four tournaments left to play before they compete alongside the rest of the top 45-ranked players in Muscat.
Walker was extremely unlucky in 2011 and 2013 when he finished in 16th place twice on the Rankings and failed to secure his European Tour playing privileges after missing out by one place on both occasions. He struggled last year in the season-finale in Oman, finishing 44th and again missing out on a European Tour card after ending the season 23rd on the Road to Oman Rankings.
But the 38-year-old is showing stellar form at just the right time this season, having also won the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge in August, and with just 29 days remaining until the European Challenge Tour’s top players descend on Muscat, he’ll be hoping to retain his momentum as he hunts down a promotion to the top tier of European golf.
As well as a share of a €400,000 prize fund on offer for victory in the prestigious NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, which is open only to the top 45 players on the Road to Oman, the top 15 players on the Rankings following the conclusion of the tournament will earn their playing cards for next season’s European Tour International Schedule. In addition, the top three players will also win a share of the lucrative €60,000 Bonus Pool.
“To go through what I’ve been through over the last three months, working hard and trying to get my career back on the mend, this win in Kazakhstan just tops it all off,” said an emotional Walker, who was one of only 15 players to finish under par due to the bad weather.
“Finishing at the top of the Rankings has never been a goal. But finishing in the top 15, you’re guaranteed a lot of tournaments next season on the European Tour. It would be nice to go on and win again.”
It was also a tremendous week for Dutchman Reinier Saxton and Englishman Garrick Porteous who have both made huge moves on the Road to Oman with their respective third and sixth place finishes. Saxton has climbed from 55th to 24th and Porteous has moved to 32nd from 52nd, which has almost secured their spots in the Muscat, Oman field.
With the Challenge Tour now entering the business end of the season, all eyes will turn to the Middle East as the players jostle for position on the rankings in a bid to breach the all-important top 15 and the inaugural €350,000 Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Challenge in the UAE, taking place the week before the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, will present the final opportunity for those outside the top 45 to secure their spot in the Oman field.
