Buckle seeks perfect finish at Volvo Masters

With a US PGA Tour card in his back pocket, Australia's Andrew Buckle is eyeing a perfect end to a satisfying season when he tees off in the Volvo Masters of Asia at Thai Country Club from December 14-17.

The supremely talented Buckle said: "It will be nice to get a win in Asia. I've had three seconds now and I would like to try to win one. Bangkok is one of my favourite cities in Asia and the Thai Country Club is an awesome course. It'll be good to get back there."

At last year's Volvo Masters of Asia held at the same venue, Buckle finished tied sixth after grabbing the joint first round lead with eventual winner, Shiv Kapur of India. He hopes that the "horses for courses" theory will launch him towards another title challenge in Bangkok.

"The course is pretty tight and the greens are good. It kind of suits the eye for me," said Buckle, who is rated as one of the best ball strikers on the Asian Tour.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise since making his debut in the region last year. He came desperately close to a maiden title on three occasions but knows that he is within touching distance of a win.

After finishing runner-up at the TCL Classic in China and Indonesia Open this year, the Aussie turned his attention to the Nationwide Tour in the United States, winning in his debut event there before going on to finish 13th on the money list to secure his card on the lucrative US PGA Tour.

With a major goal already achieved, Buckle, currently fourth on the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit, has set himself a new goal of performing well at the Volvo Masters of Asia where he wants a top-three finish on the ranking which comes with an exemption into the World Golf Championships-CA Championship next year.

"It would be nice to get a win and earn a long-term exemption in Asia," he said.

The Aussie says he will maintain his support towards the Asian Tour as it had provided the opportunity for him to expand his career. Upon his return from the US this month, Buckle skipped the Australian Open to play in the UBS Hong Kong Open.

"The Asian Tour gave me a place to play every week and made me realise that you don't have to play perfect golf all the time to play well," said Buckle.

"You see the guys out here and you learn from them. Guys like Thaworn (Wiratchant) is so laid back and calm on the golf course and they have such great attitude out there. Playing on the Asian Tour has certainly helped me a lot."

He expressed his satisfaction in securing his playing rights on the US PGA Tour where he will challenge the likes of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els on a weekly basis in 2007.

"It means an awful lot. I've worked pretty hard the last couple of years. For it to happen so quickly, it showed that if I work hard and keep my head down, I can achieve quite a bit and play well. I have my Tour card now but I have to work even harder to stay there.

"I think there hasn't been much difference in my game. At the end of 2005, I hit the ball a lot better than I have but I have improve mentally on the course, just basically getting out of my own way.

"I used to get down on myself quite a bit and I'm a bit more focussed now, trying to play well. When I'm out on the course, I just try to be easier on myself," said Buckle.

His compatriot Jarrod Lyle will also be looking for a strong finish to a memorable season. The burly Lyle, a leukaemia survivor, also booked his US PGA Tour card through the Nationwide Tour and will be looking to finish the year on a strong note at the Volvo Masters of Asia.

The US$650,000 Volvo Masters of Asia is the Asian Tour's season-finale with the winner taking home US$104,000.

December 4, 2006

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