Lu leaps up Order of Merit and becomes $1m man

Veteran Lu Wen-teh is living testament that a golfer can succeed well into their 40s after capturing a career fourth Asian Tour title and becoming Chinese Taipei’s first million-dollar man.

The 44-year-old Lu claimed a popular win at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Sunday to leapfrog into seventh place on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit with a career high US$220,572.

A lucrative US$100,000 top prize on Sunday for his third Mercuries triumph also made him the 14th player in Asia to surpass US$1 million in career earnings.

China’s Liang Wen-chong, who did not play last week, maintains his lead in the UBS Order of Merit with US$454,734, followed by South African Anton Haig who has earned US$427,685. Australian Scott Hend, third on the ranking with US$339,615, failed to make up ground after withdrawing with a hand injury last week.

Like vintage wine, the ever-smiling Lu has proven he can still match the young guns on the Asian Tour. Sunday’s success was his third in his 40s following previous successes at the 2005 Bangkok Airways Open and this year’s Macau Open.

“It is great to have two titles in one season. I am happy with this achievement as it also helps in my position on the UBS Order of Merit,” said Lu, the first player to win multiple titles this year.

After a lacklustre start to the year due injuries, his form has been impressive. Lu won in Macau in May and subsequently strung together three straight top-10s and another tied 11th finish before his win at the weekend.

While he loses out in driving distances these days, Lu’s strength in keeping his ball in play consistently has seen him reap the rewards. He also stays fit by maintaining a healthy diet and practices diligently when he’s back home in Taipei.

“I will continue to focus on shooting consistent rounds in every tournament. I did not do anything spectacular in both my victories this year, I just played my own game and it paid off,” said Lu.

With the season drawing to a close, the focus is also very much on the fight for players to retain their full playing rights for 2008 where they need to finish in the top-60 of the UBS Order of Merit, which will also earn them qualification into the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok.

Korea’s Ted Oh secured his job for another season with a runner-up finish to Lu. A cheque of US$60,000 saw him leap from 102nd to 37th place on US$75,461.

“I have to be satisfied with finishing in second place,” said Oh, who was the third round leader. “I was quite far off in the rankings to keep my card for next season and this has definitely helped in securing my place for next year.”

Still, Oh is desperate to end his title drought in Asia after bursting into the scene when he won the Qualifying School in 2001. “I’ve been in contention so many times before and it’s becoming frustrating now,” said Oh, who has now posted two second-place finishes on the Asian Tour along with 11 other career top-10s.

“What I’ve learnt from this week is to work harder so I’ll handle my game better when I’m in a similar position in the future.”

Japan’s Taichiro Kiyota, who missed the cut last week, is the man on the bubble as he slipped into 60th place on the UBS Order of Merit.

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

1. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) $454,734
2. Anton HAIG (RSA) $427,685
3. Scott HEND (AUS) $339,615
4. Simon YATES (SCO) $273,655
5. Chapchai NIRAT (THA) $263,682
6. Gaurav GHEI (IND) $230,649
7. LU Wen-teh (TPE) $220,572
8. Simon DYSON (ENG) $216,260
9. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) $200,549
10. Iain STEEL (MAS) $197,189
11. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) $182,198
12. Frankie MINOZA (PHI) $165,622
13. LEE Sung (KOR) $154,150
14. Scott BARR (AUS) $145,201
15. Adam BLYTH (AUS) $143,907
16. KIM Kyung-tae (KOR) $137,556
17. Jason KNUTZON (USA) $131,118
18. BAE Sang-moon (KOR) $128,824
19. Scott STRANGE (AUS) $121,795
20. Unho PARK (AUS) $114,332

September 24, 2007

Bookmark page with:

Return to Top of Page