Syndicated Thumbnail Navigation player featuring a selection of clips taken from Golf Bug TV. For use on the Golf Today website. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1175881076http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=495713462 RELATED STORIES 2007 UBS Order of Merit after the Barclays Singapore Open Cabrera outduels Vijay to win by one Boonchu is 15th Asian Tour million dollar man Liang increases Order of Merit lead Chapchai's Order Of Merit charge halted Liang one step closer to Order of Merit Lu leaps up Order of Merit and becomes $1m man Thaworn targets Order of Merit race Lin climbs 34 places with Brunei win Liang extends Order of Merit lead Contenders resume the Order of Merit race Jeev is tipping Liang for Order of Merit 2007 Asian Tour schedule & results ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Open: Pain for Choi as Harrington defends Open: Closing 74 gives Liang more major hopes Open: Tough Open makes Lam eye Asian success Open: Angelo Que means to learn and return Open: Late bogies mean early exit for Prayad IGF forms Olympic Committee with eye to 2016 Mission Hills to host AP Summit GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Padraig Harrington hungry for more success Michelle Wie to play on PGA Tour again IGF forms 2016 Olympic Committee Greg Norman proud of achievement Ian Poulter impressive with second place Henrik Stenson happy with his best ever finish

Liang widens Order of Merit lead as Park gets into gear

American rookie Jin Park capped his best performance of the year by making a giant leap from 113th to 12th place on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit on Sunday.

Park’s fairy tale run at the star-studded Barclays Singapore Open where he finished fourth at the Sentosa Golf Club saw him picked up a lucrative cheque of US$197,200, increasing his season tally to US$215,245.

The unheralded Park, playing in his rookie year on the Asian Tour, held his nerve playing alongside eventual winner Angel Cabrera and Adam Scott in the third round and Lee Westwood and Cabrera again on the final day.

“I said yesterday I have never been so nervous for 18 holes of golf and today I am going to say I have never been so nervous for 36 holes of golf. I feel like I have run a marathon and just kind of mentally drained,” said Park.

With his first top 10 of the year, Park has safely secured his Asian Tour card for next season but it will come with a sacrifice as he will have to forgo his dreams of playing on the US PGA Tour where he recently negotiated state one of its qualifying school.

“I’m going to play the rest out (in Vietnam and Cambodia) and keep my card on the Tour and hopefully play a full schedule next year. This is a great place to play. I’m very proud to be on the Asian Tour and I’m very thankful that I have been given the opportunity.

“The confidence that I’ll take out from this (last) week will be something that money cannot buy. I played with Angel Cabrera and Adam Scott and then Lee Westwood today and to play with those guys, I wasn’t even comfortable being out there with them,” said Park.

“But if I have the opportunity again, I know I might be able to compete and finish off the tournament stronger,” said Park who will have to play in the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters and Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open in order to fulfil his minimum of 10 appearances required to be ranked on the UBS Order of Merit at the end of the season.

His performance has also earned him a maiden trip to the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia, which will be played at Thai Country Club in December.

Thai hotshot Prom Meesawat registered his third straight top-10 at the Barclays Singapore Open to move up to eighth place on the UBS Order of Merit with accumulated earnings of $250,730 this season.

“I’ll try to finish top three to get into the world golf championship. I’m going to play in all the remaining events on the Asian Tour and maybe try to become Asia’s number one,” said Prom, who was third last year.

Asia’s number one and current USB Order of Merit leader, Liang Wen-chong of China extended his lead at the top after his two closest challengers, Anton Haig of South Africa and Scott Hend of Australia, missed the weekend cut.

However, the tenacious 29-year old was disappointed with his performance.

“I had a disappointing run. But what has happened has happened and I’ll just have to focus on my next event, pick myself up and play well again,” said Liang.

Veteran Boonchu Ruangkit of Thailand and 35-year old American Anthony Kang both joined the million dollar club as they broke through the million-dollar mark in career earnings on the Asian Tour.

The 51-year old Boonchu picked up a cheque of US$46,300 to take his total career winnings to US$1,036,322 and moved up to 86th place on the UBS Order of Merit.

Kang’s 14th place finish at the US$4 million Barclays Singapore Open, Asia’s richest National Open took his career earnings to US$1,010,895 and 20th place on the UBS Order of Merit.

UBS ORDER OF MERIT – TOP-20 (click here for the full Order of Merit)

Pos. Player Winnings (US$)

1. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 495,150
2. Anton HAIG (RSA) 427,685
3. Scott HEND (AUS) 346,026
4. Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 340,333
5. Simon YATES (SCO) 286,693
6. LU Wen-teh (TPE) 265,909
7. Gaurav GHEI (IND) 256,549
8. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $250, 730
9. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 223,623
10. KIM Kyung-tae (KOR) 222,047
11. Simon DYSON (ENG) 216,260
12. Jin Park (USA) 215,245
13. Iain STEEL (MAS) 202,643
14. BAE Sang-moon (KOR) 201,709
15. Shiv KAPUR (IND) 193,571
16. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 190,989
17. Kane WEBBER (AUS) 182,617
18. Chinarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 174,959
19. Scott BARR (AUS) 173,782
20. Anthony KANG (USA) 167,789

November 5, 2007