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Bae climbs to 13th spot with maiden win
 Bae
Sang-moon's commanding victory at the SK Telecom Open on Sunday
has signalled the emergence of an exciting breed of rising stars
from Korea.
The tenacious Bae was over the moon when he claimed his maiden
Asian Tour title on home soil which propelled him to 13th place
on the latest UBS Order of Merit.
Amazingly, he is the second 20-year-old from his country to triumph
in the region this month, following closely in the footsteps of
highly-rated Kim Kyung-tae.
Kim, winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, is two rungs above
Bae in 11th place on the UBS Order of Merit and the duo look capable
of pushing one another to greater heights and accomplishments.
Over the years, Korea have produced a line of champions with the
likes of Choi Sang-ho, Kim Jong-duk, Kang Wook-soon, who is a two-time
Asian number one and K.J. Choi being in the forefront.
But Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han believes the youngsters
will become better over the years and eventually challenge for the
prestigious UBS Order of Merit crown.
"It's great to see a young generation of Korean players coming
through the ranks. The Asian Tour has been a wonderful platform
for young players to launch their careers and it's been exciting
to see promising players like Kim and Bae secure winning breakthroughs
this month. It augurs well for the future of Asian golf," said
Han.
Han added that it was a particularly exciting era for the Asian
Tour as other young guns from countries like India, Malaysia and
Thailand have also excelled across the region's finest fairways.
Thailand's Chapchai Nirat and Prom Meesawat, both winners in Asia,
are still in their early 20s while Chinarat Phadungsil, already
a two-time champion, will turn 19 in November.
"We've got so many other talented players in their 20s who
are making an impression on the Asian Tour," said Han. "The
opportunities on Tour have given them the impetus to become better
players. Guys like India's Shiv Kapur, Malaysia's Airil Rizman and
China's Liang Wen-chong have established themselves and they have
their careers ahead of them."
Bae picked up golf at the age of nine and his maiden triumph was
made even sweeter as his 51-year-old mother Si Ok-hee caddied for
him last week.
"I'm dedicating this win to my mother as she has been instrumental
in my success,” said Bae.
Bae is now looking forward to playing more regularly on the Asian
Tour after signing up as a member where he will enjoy a winner's
exemption until the end of the 2009 season.
“I have some friends on the Asian Tour like Park Jun-won and
Kim Hye-dong and I would love to play with them. The Asian Tour
is growing and I can gain a lot of experience playing with some
of the best players in Asia."
The top-five positions on the UBS Order of Merit remained unchanged,
with China's Liang Wen-chong leading the race with US$438,252. South
African Anton Haig is a close second with US$427,685, followed by
Australian Scott Hend and Chapchai.
Australian Unho Park moved up to 15th position thanks to his fourth
place outing at the weekend.
The Asian Tour will resume with its 16th leg of the season at next
week's Bangkok Airways Open at Santiburi Samui Country Club.
UBS ORDER OF MERIT – TOP 20 (click
here for the full Order of Merit):
Pos Player Winnings (US$)
1. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 438,252
2. Anton HAIG (RSA) 427,685
3. Scott HEND (AUS) 332,460
4. Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 246,768
5. Simon DYSON (ENG) 216,260
6. Simon YATES (SCO) 213,319
7. Gaurav GHEI (IND) 210,398
8. Iain STEEL (MAS) 191,609
9. Frankie MINOZA (PHI) 165,622
10. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 152,999
11. KIM Kyung-tae (KOR) 137,579
12. Adam BLYTH (AUS) 129,827
13. BAE Sang-moon (KOR) 129,171
14. Scott STRANGE (AUS) 121,795
15. Unho PARK (AUS) 110,989
16. Jason KNUTZON (USA) 105,258
17. Shiv KAPUR (IND) 104,504
18. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 101,935
19. David BRANSDON (AUS) 98,929
20. Scott BARR (AUS) 98,059
May 28, 2007
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