Round 4 - Joost Luiten wins inaugural Oman Open

February 18, 2018

Joost Luiten of the Netherlands won the inaugural Oman Open on Sunday to break a title drought of nearly 17 months.

The 32-year-old Dutchman shot a 4-under 68 to finish on 16-under 272, two shots ahead of his friend, England's Chris Wood (69).

It was Luiten's sixth European Tour title and the first since the 2016 KLM Open.

Frenchman Julien Guerrier (71) virtually assured that he would not have to go to qualifying school for the 12th time with a third-place finish after a 13-under 275.

Luiten started with three birdies in his first four holes, but bogeys on the seventh and eighth set him back. On the back nine, he made three birdies, including a key one on the 16th, where he made a 30-foot putt.

''It feels great. I didn't know what to expect when I came here but to play a course like this which is in great condition - it's a great technical golf course as well - it was beyond my expectation and to hold the trophy is even better,'' said Luiten, who is expected to rise to No. 65 in the new rankings on Monday.

''I had a great start, that's what I was hoping for. I hit some nice ones in close and rolled in a couple of nice putts and that gets you in the right position, where you want to be.

''Unfortunately, I had a couple of bogeys as well on the front nine, but I recovered from that with a couple of nice birdies on the back nine and it was a good battle with Woody.''

Playing one group ahead, England's Wood was right in the mix and tied with Luiten at 15-under when their fortunes went in opposite directions almost at the same time. On the 17th hole, Wood drove his tee shot into the hazard left and could do no more than chip his ball out for a bogey. Luiten, meanwhile, drained his 30-footer birdie putt on the 16th for a two-shot swing.

Recovering his form after a series of disappointments, Wood was let down by the loss and said: ''It's golf isn't it? You are never happy.

''I played poorly for six or eight months. Would have never thought I would have put myself into contention. And when you do, you feel gutted when you don't win. I am pretty down really, but in the grand scheme of things, when I reflect after a couple of days, I will think it is a big step in the right direction.''

Luiten's win also got him into the top 10 in the Race to Dubai, securing him a start at the WGC-Mexico Championship in two weeks.

Frenchman Alexander Levy (70), who was hoping to finish in the top five to push into the top 10 in the Race to Dubai and grab the WGC-Mexico spot himself, did manage a joint fourth place at 11 under, but Luiten's victory kept him 11th.

The European Tour next moves to Doha for the Qatar Masters starting on Thursday.

Click here for full scores.

Round 3 - Luiten, Gerrier & Southgate tied for lead

February 17, 2018

Joost Luiten showed a return to form after a mediocre 2017 as he moved into a three-way tie for the lead in the Oman Open on Saturday.

The Dutchman shot a second straight 6-under 66 - the joint best score of the day - to move to 12-under 204. He was joined at the top by Matthew Southgate (69) and Frenchman Julien Guerrier (66) after the third round at the Greg Norman-designed Al Mouj Golf Club.

England's Chris Wood (69), another man on the comeback trail, was in fourth place at 11 under, but it could have been a lot better if not for a bogey-bogey finish. Adrian Otaegui (66) was a shot behind Wood while pre-tournament favorite, France's Alexander Levy (67), was at 9 under.

The 90th-ranked Luiten credited some hot iron play for his success after a cracked driver set him back last year when he had just two top-10 finishes the whole season.

''I cracked my driver in my first tournament of the year in Abu Dhabi and it took me almost six months to get another one that I really liked. Once you are not driving the ball well, it puts pressure on other parts of your game,'' said the 32-year-old Luiten. ''My iron play did not get me into trouble at all today.''

Southgate was quick off the block with three birdies in his first three holes. But the Englishman then made two bogeys and a double bogey in his next four holes, and a birdie on the ninth saw him make the turn at even-par.

That forced him to think differently for the back nine and he was rewarded with three birdies.

''It was quite funny really,'' Southgate said. ''We birdied the ninth and I walked off and said to my caddie Gary ... 'We've just shot level par, so let's just pretend that we've made nine solid pars and that we haven't holed a putt and haven't made a birdie. Let's just start again on the 10th'.''

The 32-year-old Guerrier started his round with a monster 48-foot birdie putt and had an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys

Round 2 - Matthieu Pavon fires 65 to take lead in Oman

February 16, 2018

Less than three weeks after disqualifying himself for signing his scorecard wrongly in Dubai, Matthieu Pavon was in the headlines again but this time for leading the Oman Open at the halfway stage on Friday.

The 25-year-old Frenchman made seven birdies in his first 14 holes in Muscat, and then produced a fighting finish to save pars down the stretch and close on a 7-under 65. Pavon is 11-under 133 overall and holds a two-shot lead over Matthew Southgate (70) at the Greg Norman-designed Al Mouj Golf Club.

England's Southgate, joint leader overnight, had a double bogey after driving into the water on the 18th.

Chris Wood (66) and Paul Waring (71), both from England, were tied for third on 8-under 136.

Darren Clarke (67) went bogey-free to make his first cut on the European Tour since 2016. The Northern Irishman was at 5 under overall and tied for ninth place going into the weekend.

Pavon, third in last year's Scottish and Portugal Opens, went out in 31 with five birdies and then added three more in the next five holes, along with his only bogey on the par-3 13th.

He produced a great up-and-down on the 15th after finding the fairway bunker, and then had an anxious time watching his tee shot curve just enough to miss the water guarding the right side of the 18th fairway.

Asked about his selfless act in Dubai - when he realized he had accidentally signed for a 3 instead of a 4 on one hole - the 156th-ranked Pavon said: ''I really don't think too much about it. At that time I just did what I knew was the right thing to do. Of course, I appreciate all the nice messages I got after that, but today was just good golf''

Southgate, who had surgery for testicular cancer in 2015, was happy with his performance despite the late hiccup on the 18th.

''I hit a poor swing and made a poor error and I'm kind of not surprised. It was a hot day and it has taken a lot out of me,'' said Southgate.

''These things happen, I didn't mean to do it. There's going to be hundreds of shots that I hit in my career that I'm not happy with and that was just one of them.''

Round 1 - Sullivan trailing 2 behind leaders Southgate & Waring

February 15, 2018

Andy Sullivan showed signs of turning around his fortunes by producing a superb back nine to start the Oman Open with a 5-under-par 67 on Thursday.

He birdied six of his last 10 holes but still trailed English compatriots - cancer survivor Matthew Southgate and Paul Waring - by two shots on a day when the winds stayed away from the Greg Norman-designed Al Mouj Golf Club.

Sullivan was part of Europe's losing Ryder Cup team in 2016 at Hazeltine. But he struggled throughout 2017, posted only two top-10s, and dropped in the ranking from top 30 to outside the top 130.

Playing in the afternoon, Waring, winless on the European Tour in 11 seasons, started with a bogey-free round of 65.

Southgate, who made his second hole-in-one in a month, joined him on top moments later.

Dutch golfer Daan Huizing, who turned pro after reaching No. 2 in the world amateur ranking in 2012, made the most of a sponsor's exemption and was in third place at 6-under 66.

Starting the day on the 10th tee, Sullivan was 1 over after eight holes with back-to-back bogeys. But a birdie on the par-4 18th got him going, and a hat trick of birdies from the second took him to 3 under.

The putt of the day came on the sixth hole where he drained a birdie attempt from 45 feet.

''My game has come back,'' said Sullivan, who tied for sixth in the Dubai Desert Classic last month.

''I've worked really hard over the seven weeks I had off after the World Tour Championship in Dubai (in November), and it's nice just to be back at the right end of the leaderboard.

''It was just a bit of complacency. I got to the Ryder Cup pretty early and achieved everything in really quick time, and you just don't realize how hard you have to work to maintain these things. I'd be guilty of that.

Southgate, who overcame testicular cancer in 2015, aced the par-3 fifth hole - his 14th - and moved to a bogey-free 7 under with another birdie at the eighth.

Southgate also holed a tee shot in Dubai last month.

Waring's best finish on the European Tour was a tie for second a year ago at the Joburg Open.

''I felt really in control today,'' he said. ''I took advantage of the par fives.''

Scores