Lee Corfield hopes to call on memories of victory at Mena Golf Tour’s Ghala Open in Muscat

The Ghala Open — the 15th and penultimate event on the tour — offers one last chance to competitors to consolidate their positions on the Order of Merit before the cut is made for next week’s season-ending Tour Championship.

Lee Corfield is in the field for the 2016 Ghala Open in Muscat, Oman. Courtesy Mena Golf Tour
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Lee Corfield will be hoping to pick up plenty of good vibes when he returns to the Ghala Golf Club in Muscat to defend his title this week as the Mena Golf Tour reaches its business end.

Currently placed ninth on the Order of Merit, the 34-year-old Englishman needs another strong finish at the Ghala Open, starting on Monday, in his quest to close the gap on the leaders, but will have to be wary of rivals lining up as potential roadblocks along the way.

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"Everybody is capable of having a great week and win, but it feels nice to come to a venue where you have enjoyed a bit of success. My game is in good shape and I am really looking forward to the week ahead," said Corfield, who finished tied 11th at last week's Sahara Kuwait Championship.

The Ghala Open — the 15th and penultimate event on the tour — offers one last chance to competitors to consolidate their positions on the Order of Merit before the cut is made for next week’s season-ending Tour Championship, which boasts a prize fund of US$100,000 (Dh367,300).

Craig Hinton currently leads the Order of Merit for professionals, but with the likes his fellow Englishmen Zane Scotland, Andrew Marshall and Luke Joy snapping at his heels, the prognoses points to an interesting finish.

Top-ranked Omani golfer Azaan Al Rumhi, who lives just a sand wedge away from the course, will spearhead the home challenge in the Mena Division that features leading players from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, including Othman Almulla and Khaled Attieh, while Morocco’s Younes El Hassani and Lebanon’s Peter Badawy headline the cast in the region’s professional division.

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