Singh gets up close with Order of Merit trophy

Golf Today > Asian Golf > News Archive > 2006 Archive >

ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES

Ben Leong claims maiden victory

PGA: Jeev and Wi tie for ninth

Prom targets Thai win in Brunei

Shin Ji-yai takes Women's British Open

Asian Tour starts 2nd half on a high

Norman to play 2009 Johnnie Walker

Mission Hills to host AP Summit

GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES

Last chance to impress at Gleneagles

New FedExCup points method causing surprises

Vijay Singh looking forward to Deutsche Bank

Players surprised by LPGA "English" rule

Ryder Cup race ends at Gleneagles

Tiger Woods won't swing a club till 2009

Singh gets up close with Order of Merit trophy

Jeev Milkha Singh’s quest for UBS Order of Merit glory took on an exciting new dimension over the weekend, when the magnificent Waterford Crystal trophy to be presented to Asia’s number one at season’s end was unveiled in Singapore.

One of Asia’s most decorated players, Singh has led the UBS Order of Merit since his victory at the Volvo China Open in April. With his tie for 25th yesterday, which was worth more than US$28,000, he was able to extend his buffer at the top of the ranking to more than US$140,000 from nearest challenger Charlie Wi of Korea.

For Singh, who has regularly stated his desire to win the UBS Order of Merit title this season, the chance to actually get his hands on the brand-new prize reiterated the prestige of the title being chased by Asia’s best players.

Said Singh: “It is a great initiative for UBS to have commissioned a new trophy especially for the UBS Order of Merit.

“It is one of the highest honours that we play for in Asian golf and it really deserves its own special trophy, something in keeping with how important this title is for the players of the Asian Tour,” he added.

The trophy was selected after a unique Asia Pacific-wide internal vote by the staff of Order of Merit title-sponsor UBS, one of the world’s leading financial organisations. After the Asian Tour had selected two finalists, approximately 60 per cent of the bank’s regional staff chose the victorious ‘pillars of success’ design.

For Singh, the fact that the trophy was chosen in such a fashion was impressive. “That UBS staff from around the region had the chance to have a say in the trophy’s design also really shows how UBS has got behind the race for the UBS Order of Merit title in 2006.”

More than a dozen people were involved in the creation of the 6.5-kilogramme trophy, which was handmade at Waterford Crystal’s Ireland headquarters specifically for UBS and the Asian Tour.

Initially carved from solid blocks of Waterford’s exclusive full lead crystal, sculpting, cutting and engraving followed before the crystal was transformed from its rough state into the brilliant surface that will record the name’s of Asian golf’s best players.

Said Waterford Crystal senior sculptor Michael Murphy: “Because of the weight of the blocks of crystal from which we carve the individual parts of any sculpture, it is sometimes a challenge to achieve the correct surface shape.

“Whilst this is true of straight sided items, it was particularly challenging on the top section of the UBS Order of Merit trophy due to the curved shape of the piece, especially as we use hand-eye coordination as our only guide.”

The Barclays Singapore Open also saw Prom Meesawat of Thailand and Singh’s compatriot Shiv Kapur boost their chances of taking out the UBS Order of Merit title with excellent results.

For Prom, who won this year’s SK Telecom Open, a tie for sixth and a cheque for US$94,500 saw him move up two places into third position, while Kapur’s outright fifth place and prizemoney of US$123,000 pushed him to sixth position from 15th before the event.

The big mover, however, was Australia’s Brad Kennedy, who climbed 30 spots to seventh after he tied for third behind Adam Scott and Ernie Els and pocketed US$183,000.

Korea’s Wi, who was forced to withdraw from the Singapore event, stayed in second position, while Andrew Buckle and Simon Dyson maintained their positions in the top five. Mardan Mamat, Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng all remained in the leading 10 places on the ranking.

UBS ORDER OF MERIT – TOP-20

Pos. Player (Country) Winnings (US$)

1 Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 470,108

2 Charlie WI (KOR) 329,680

3 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 321,191

4 Andrew BUCKLE (AUS) 301,512

5 Simon DYSON (ENG) 269,265

6 Shiv KAPUR (IND) 256,107

7 Brad KENNEDY (AUS) 245,300

8 Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 241,922

9 Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 237,402

10 Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 212,412