The first edition of the Oman Open went very well from a PR perspective, in stark contrast, one might say, to the more recent Middle East addition to the European Tour schedule.

For starters, there was an enthralling final round, which began with any number of players in with a fighting chance and ended with two of the biggest punchers in the field, who also happen to be close friends, taking each other on down the stretch.

And then there were the course reviews, Eddie Pepperell labelling Al Mouj the best he's played in the Middle East, Matthew Southgate waxing lyrical about the design and others queuing up to ask why it'd taken so long to get to this Greg Norman layout on the outskirts of Oman's capital city, Muscat.