Liang and Minoza top UBS Special Award nominations

The magical 2007 seasons of Frankie Minoza and Liang Wen-chong could be in line for further honours today when they were unveiled as leading candidates for the Asian Tour’s second annual UBS Special Achievement Award.

The award, inaugurated last year as part of UBS’s title-sponsorship of the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, highlights an individual whose performance, either over the last 12 months or cumulatively, has contributed to the development of golf in Asia.

It may be an individual performance or a career-long contribution that has had a positive impact on the game and deserves special recognition.

Appropriately, Minoza and Liang are joined by some of Asian golf’s biggest stars on the prestigious list of nominees. Heading the challenge are Boonchu Ruangkit of Thailand, Koreans Lee Sung and Choi Kyung-ju and India’s Jyoti Randhawa.

The winner will be announced this Sunday at the Asian Tour’s UBS Awards Gala dinner in Bangkok, which brings the curtain down on the season at the conclusion of the Volvo Masters of Asia.

The announcement of Minoza’s nomination comes after a sterling season from the veteran Filipino, who has notched victories in Asia and Japan this year. The first triumph came at his national Open in February, when he held off China’s Liang and compatriot Gerald Rosales for a popular victory. He then went on to win a second title of the year at the ABC Championship on the Japan Golf Tour, his seventh career triumph in the country.

However, this year is merely the icing on the cake for the 48-year-old star, who has led the way for Asian golf for decades. He now has 16 career victories around the region and, as one of the few players of the modern Asian era to have played in the US Masters, is revered in the Philippines and idolised by many of the country’s up and coming players.

Liang, who is poised to claim the UBS Order of Merit title this week, will be looking to follow in the steps of last year’s money list champion, Jeev Milkha Singh, who won the inaugural UBS award. The Chinese number one came of age in 2007 when he claimed his first major title in Singapore, becoming only the second player from his country to win a co-sanctioned Asian Tour/European Tour title.

The 29-year-old went on to post eight further top-10s on the Asian Tour this year and, along the way, was the first Chinese player to surpass US$1 million in career earnings. He also made his major debut at the US PGA Championship, the first Chinese to play in the year’s final major.

Boonchu, however, remains the sentimental favourite, with the contribution of the player who struck the first shot on both the Asian Tour and its predecessor, the Asian PGA circuit, undeniable. His victory last year at the Champions Tour Qualifying School, and subsequently making 11 of 12 cuts in the US, reiterated his playing talent and his ability to continue forging a new path for Asian Tour members.

In addition to the two veteran stars and Liang, the remaining contenders have also made considerable cases for recognition – Lee became what is believed to be the first deaf player to win a tournament on one of the world’s professional Tours, Choi claimed two victories on the US PGA Tour and Jyoti Randhawa played his way into the history books as just the second player after the legendary Peter Thomson to win the Indian Open three times.

Said Oliver Bertschinger, Head of Sponsorship Asia Pacific, UBS: “Golf in Asia has made extraordinary progress in recent years and that growth in popularity and exposure is due to the significant contributions of many different people. The UBS Special Achievement Award is designed to draw attention to those that have been particularly valuable.

“It is appropriate that six of the Tour’s finest players, including the likes Frankie, Wen-chong and Boonchu, are being acknowledged for their contributions to Asian golf this year,” added Bertschinger.

The six players on the award shortlist were nominated by the Asian Tour, with the final selection to be made by a panel of six members of the regional golf media and the sport’s administration. The vote will be conducted by secret ballot, with the winner revealed at the Asian Tour’s UBS Awards Gala dinner in Bangkok on Sunday December 9.

December 3 , 2007

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