Liang closes in on Order of Merit crown

Liang Wen-chong of China has placed one hand on the prestigious Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit title with only Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat and Simon Yates of Scotland capable of denying him Asia’s most coveted prize.

The tenacious Liang, who has been on a mission all season to become the first Asian number one from China, increased his season’s haul to US$525,570 after finishing tied 15th in the UBS Hong Kong Open at the weekend.

He widened his lead over second-ranked Anton Haig of South Africa, who missed the halfway cut, to US$97,885. Haig, winner of the Johnnie Walker Classic earlier this year, has confirmed he will not compete in the remaining three events on the Asian Tour schedule.

Scott Hend of Australia, currently ranked third on the UBS Order of Merit, skipped last week’s tournament due to the US Qualifying School and will return for the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia at Thai Country Club in two weeks time.

Hend trails Liang by a little over US$179,000 but has no chance of catching the Chinese leader in Bangkok as the top prize at the Volvo Masters of Asia is US$120,000.

This effectively leaves only Chapchai and Yates, fourth and fifth respectively on the merit list, as the two players who have a mathematical chance of toppling Liang from his perch.

The young Thai, winner of the TCL Classic in China, and Yates are competing in the final three events – this week’s US$500,000 Hana Bank Vietnam Masters, the US$300,000 Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open next week and the US$750,000 Volvo Masters of Asia from December 6-9.

The duo will need to pull off nothing less than a victory in Bangkok or Hanoi and also produce two other top finishes to have any chance of denying Liang the UBS Order of Merit crown.

Liang is not competing in Hanoi this week as he will represent China in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup on home soil but he has entered the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open.

He said: “I am pleased with my overall performance at the UBS Hong Kong Open. I have been thinking about the UBS Order of Merit race a lot since the (Barclays) Singapore Open and I think it affected me there (where he finished 52nd).

“I have learnt from that and I adopted a relaxed approach this week. It paid off as I am happy with where I finished.”

With the finish line in sight, Liang, who has also posted eight other top-10s this season, feels he may have done enough to wrap up the UBS Order of Merit crown.

“I feel I have cemented my position on top of the rankings. I’m looking forward to a good finish to the year. I have not really planned out my schedule for the remaining few events but I will do what it takes to seal my position as the number one, that’s my goal,” he said.

The race to finish in the top-60 of the UBS Order of Merit and qualify for the Volvo Masters of Asia saw Chinese veteran Zhang Lian-wei and American Bryan Saltus make up ground after they played four rounds in Hong Kong.

Zhang, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, moved up nine rungs to 54th place while Saltus jumped 13 rungs up to 53rd. Thailand’s Thammanoon Srirot currently sits on the bubble in 60th place after missing the cut in Hong Kong.

UBS ORDER OF MERIT – TOP-20 (click here for the full list)

Pos Player Earnings ($)

1. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 525,570
2. Anton HAIG (RSA) 427,685
3. Scott HEND (AUS) 346,026
4. Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 344,250
5. Simon YATES (SCO) 286,693
6. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 275,855
7. Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 268,838
8. LU Wen-teh (TPE) 265,909
9. Gaurav GHEI (IND) 256,549
10. Simon DYSON (ENG) 246,680
11. Shiv KAPUR (IND) 230,021
12. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 223,623
13. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 221,409
14. Jin PARK (USA) 215,245
15. Iain STEEL (MAS) 202,643
16. Kane WEBBER (AUS) 182,617
17. Frankie MINOZA (PHI) 179,347
18. Chinarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 174,959
19. LEE Sung (KOR) 174,907
20. Anthony KANG (USA) 174,899

November 20, 2007

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