Tony C. McCray Blog: NBO Oman Open Preview

Thursday, February 15, 2018

NBO Oman Open Preview

The European Tour jumps a couple of continents from Perth, Australia, to Muscat, Oman, starting Thursday for the NBO Oman Open.

The course was designed by Greg Norman and opened in 2012. This will be its first-ever European Tour event. It’s a 7,365-yard, par-72 course.

While the course has some gorgeous natural beauty, it’s also right along Oman’s Indian Ocean coastline, meaning the wind is going to be a factor for just about everyone. That will especially come into play on the 18th hole. It was extended to 465 yards in the past couple of years. Anything right of the fairway is going to wind up in the water, with the green protected by that same drink.

A few contestants have already had a sample of the wind and the dastardly 18th by way of the 2015-2017 European Challenge Tour’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final being held there.

Among those is current Tour player Bernd Rittenhammer, who told the European Tour: “Without wind, I would say the scoring will be quite low but with the wind, anyone who is not on their game will struggle, so it is a very good test.”
Notable Euro Tour players on the entry list for this inaugural tournament include Thongchai Jaidee, Joost Luiten, Pablo Larrazabal, and Edoardo Molinari.