ROOKE KAKKO SEALS EUROPEAN TOUR PROMOTION AFTER TWO-SHOT WIN IN OMAN CLASSIC

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS                            

Rooke Kakko sealed his card for 

The 2014 European Tour season as 

the Finn claimed his first title as a 

professional with a nerveless 

performance and a two-shot win in 

the inaugural National Bank of 

Oman Golf Classic.

In searing hot conditions at the majestic Almouj Golf, The Wave in 

the Omani capital of Muscat, the 31 year old produced a final round 

worthy of the occasion in the penultimate event of the European 

Challenge Tour season.

The victory, courtesy of a three under par final round of 69, elevated the Orlando-based player from 17^th to sixth in the Rankings, 

guaranteeing him one of the cards that will go to the leading 15 in 

the Rankings after this coming week’s Dubai Festival City Challenge 

Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club.

While Kakko began with two birdies to extend his one-shot 

overnight lead to three before moving four clear at one point, it was 

no walk in the park for the man whose only previous victory on the 

Challenge Tour came as an amateur and on home soil back in 2004.

Dane Lucas Bjerregaard made an almighty push for the title 

midway through the day when he carded three consecutive 

birdies from the tenth hole to get within one of Kakko.

A bogey for Bjerregaard at the 13^th and a birdie for Kakko at the 14^th meant the gap was back to three and, while the Dane picked up one more shot at the par five 16^th to ensure a nervy finish, Kakko pierced the middle of the fairway with his drive down the 18^th 

before finishing with a solid par to clinch the title on 14 under.

“Today I felt like this was my moment, when I was going to grab 

hold of it, so it feels amazing,” said Kakko, who let out an almighty 

roar when he holed the final putt. “What an accomplishment. I'm 

just so proud of how I handled myself on the golf course and how I 

kept hitting good shots and good putts.

“After I hit that tee shot at 18 I figured that had to be pretty much it. 

I saw that Bjerregaard made par on the last so the drive was the big 

one, not the putt. I haven’t won as a professional and that’s why 

we’re here every week. We want to win these tournaments and I've 

had a couple of chances.

“It’s unbelievable to have a European Tour card secured. When 

you set yourself a goal for top 15 and then accomplish that, it’s 

such a fulfilling feeling.

“I don’t have words for it. I'm so happy, just delighted. I get to go 

home now to my family after Grand Final and I don’t have to go to 

Qualifying School, so that’s such a big plus. I think I get to play the 

World Cup with Mikko Korhonen too so that’s going to be a nice 

Christmas present.”

Bjerregaard, meanwhile, was disappointed to have missed out 

having come close, but having needed a huge result this week just to 

secure a place in the season-ending Grand Final, he was delighted to have achieved that goal by moving from 57^th in the Rankings to 35^th.

“It was a day of mixed emotions alright,” said the 22 year old, who 

signed for a five under 67 to finish on 12 under. “I needed a second 

place or maybe third alone. I went out there and knew what I had to 

do and I did it so I'm feeling very good right now.”

Daniel Im, meanwhile, struggled to keep up with his playing partner 

Kakko throughout the day and could only manage a level par 72 to 

finish in third place on ten under par, but that was enough to move him inside the top 15 of the Rankings - from 21^st to 13^th - heading 

into the crucial finale.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72)

274 R Kakko  (Fin) 70 69 66 69

276 L Bjerregaard  (Den) 76 68 65 67

278 D Im (USA) 69 69 68 72

281 B Stone (RSA) 71 68 74 68, M Ford (Eng) 72 74 68 67

283 J Carlsson (Swe) 72 72 70 69, J Huldahl (Den) 76 67 66 74, B An (SKor) 79 68 71 65

284 S Kim (Kor) 71 74 68 71, N Elvira  (Esp) 74 70 73 67, A McArthur  (Sco) 71 74 69 70, N Ravano (Ita) 68 72 75 69, M Crespi  (Ita) 72 67 69 76, G Cambis  (Fra) 76 66 73 69, L Goddard  (Eng) 78 67 69 70, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 69 72 72

285 S Arnold  (Aus) 71 71 72 71

286 G Stal  (Fra) 74 72 68 72, J Elson  (Eng) 74 73 72 67, G Murray  (Sco) 74 72 66 74, R Russell (Sco) 75 70 68 73, W Besseling  (Ned) 74 72 70 70, N Kimsey (am) (Eng) 71 72 74 69

287 S Walker (Eng) 74 73 73 67, R McGowan  (Eng) 72 72 75 68

288 A Marshall (Eng) 72 74 69 73, J Dantorp (Swe) 74 70 72 72

289 J Moul  (Eng) 72 69 71 77, D Ulrich (Sui) 73 75 70 71, K Borsheim  (Nor) 75 69 74 71, E Dubois (Fra) 72 75 70 72, D Stewart (Sco) 71 72 72 74

290 R Davies (Wal) 77 68 75 70, N Lemke (Swe) 71 74 71 74, B Longmuir (Sco) 74 74 69 73, S Tiley (Eng) 78 70 72 70, B Paolini (USA) 72 74 71 73, J Guerrier  (Fra) 68 74 72 76, M Jonzon (Swe) 75 72 73 70

291 V Riu  (Fra) 75 71 70 75, A Otaegui  (Esp) 74 74 69 74, A Domingo (Esp) 72 71 71 77, A Gee  (Eng) 71 73 74 73, A Pavan (Ita) 72 71 73 75, D Huizing (Ned) 75 69 70 77, F Praegant (Aut) 78 70 67 76, J McLeary  (Sco) 72 74 75 70

292 L Jensen (Den) 74 71 76 71, C Del Moral (Esp) 74 66 74 78, C Aguilar  (Esp) 71 70 79 72, B Ritthammer (Ger) 76 71 73 72

293 M Lampert (Ger) 73 75 71 74

294 T Nørret (Den) 75 72 74 73, J Barnes (Eng) 72 72 76 74, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 75 70 75 74, O Wilson (Eng) 74 70 79 71

295 P Archer (Eng) 77 71 75 72, N Dougherty  (Eng) 73 68 76 78, M Haastrup  (Den) 74 74 72 75, P Dwyer (Eng) 73 68 71 83

296 L Saltman (Sco) 76 72 76 72, J Fahrbring (Swe) 74 72 74 76, C Ford (Eng) 70 78 78 70

297 J Abbott (Eng) 74 72 77 74

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS