Minoza hopes it's third time lucky in Singapore

Minoza, who had missed the cut in his last two attempts in the 2002 and 2006 edition, hopes that his fine form this year will see him through another stunning outing this week.

“I did not make the cut in the past two attempts because I wasn’t hitting the ball well enough. I finished in the top-10 in 2001 but since then, I’ve been trying to hit the ball consistently well. This year, it is different. I have been enjoying a good run of form and I’ve also been striking the ball on target. So I hope to be third time lucky now. I don’t want to give up and will keep trying,” said Minoza, who enjoyed home success in the Philippine Open last month.

All eyes will be on the Filipino talent who is tipped to challenge for the title this week alongside the other Asian stalwarts that include defending champion Mardan Mamat, Jeev Milkha Singh of India, who was the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit winner last year, Thaworn Wiratchant and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Indian ace Jyoti Randhawa and South African Anton Haig, who delivered a winning performance in Phuket last week.

England’s Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Nick Dougherty and David Howell will also be determined to make their presence felt at the US$1.1 million event which will be played over two courses, the Masters Course and the Classic Course at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

Nicknamed “The Boss”, Minoza admitted that he will be on a positive charge determined to emulate his performance in Manila.

“It is a good field but I always stay positive in every tournament. When I remain positive, I believe that I am able to catch up or hold the lead, which is important. I am keen to deliver good scores here,” added Minoza, who also enjoyed a runner-up finish in Jakarta last month.

Thai sensation Thongchai, a two-time Asian number one, shared a similar sentiment as he hopes to conquer the challenging course this week.

“I missed the cut last year but this is a challenging course. The Classic Course is quite easy but the Masters is tough. If the ball is in the rough, it is going to be tricky as the rough is quite thick,” said Thongchai.

“I have been striking the ball well today though. I played in the pro-am this morning and I’m quite happy with my form as I missed only one fairway today, on the 18th hole. The greens here are tricky this week but with good putting, I will be able to produce a solid score,” he added.

Haig is beaming with confidence ahead of his challenge in Singapore. He had achieved his long term goal of breaking into the top-100 on the world ranking as a result of his success in Phuket last week.

“I thought I would break into the top-100 at the age of 22 but I’ve done it a year earlier, so I’m quite pleased,” said Haig.

“I feel good about my game now. Hopefully, I can keep my nerves and try my best out there,” said Haig, who enjoyed his maiden triumph on the Asian Tour in Malaysia last year.

Former winner Dougherty, who finished runner-up in 2006, will take on a calm approach as he hopes to notch one better this week.

“I am positive about my chances but I am not going to put the pressure on myself that I did last year,” said Dougherty, who won the title in 2005.

“One of my friends who lives out here had a barbeque at his house last night and he said the difference between when I won and when I came second was, when I won, I had a great time and smiled my way round, but last year I growled my way round, it was like a battle for me, I was so determined to take the tournament back and to defend it that I really got into the feel of it.

“But this year I am trying to relax more and have a good time, if the outcome is the same as a couple of years ago then I will be totally justified and I will be happy to smile my way around the course,” he added.

March 7, 2007

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