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Victory puts Maruyama back in the big time

When the 2009 Asian Tour season comes to a close, Japan’s Daisuke Maruyama will undoubtedly look back at it as one of the best he ever had.

The 38-year-old Japanese not only started the year brightly by winning the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January, he also ended a four-year title drought when he won the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open over the weekend.

Victory for Maruyama at the US$1.5 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour was worth US$320,444 and it also saw the Japanese making one of the biggest moves from 140th to third place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Maruyama’s first victory since the 2005 Fuji Sankei Classic has also earned him a two-year’s exemption on the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour as well as the opportunity to tee off against world number one Tiger Woods and Asia’s first Major champion Yang Yong-eun at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai in November.

“I’ve forgotten about the winning feeling. So this feels really good now,” said Maruyama who led from the second round to eventually triumph by four shots on the final day.

China’s Liang Wen-chong moved up 30 places to take ninth place on the Order of Merit after he closed with a 73 to take a share of second place at the Joyo Country Club. That result also marked a career eighth top-three finish in Japan for the Chinese who was Asia’s number one in 2007.

Thai ace Thongchai Jaidee continues to lead the race of becoming the 2009 Asian Tour number one with US$870,517 followed by American Anthony Kang in second-place on US$385,246.

India’s Jyoti Randhawa who won the Singha Thailand Open in March slipped one place down to fourth on US$284,496 while Korea’s Kang Sung-hoon and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar are in fifth and sixth place respectively.

The top-65 players on the Order of Merit will retain their full Asian Tour Tour cards for the 2010 season. The minimum number of tournaments that players require to keep their ranking is nine this year.

The Asian Tour heads to Chinese Taipei this week for the US$500,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters which starts at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Asian Tour Order of Merit Top-20 (click here for full list):

Pos Player Country Earnings (US$)

1. Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) $870,517.71
2. Anthony KANG (USA) $385,246.12
3. Daisuke MARUYAMA (JPN) $325,227.21
4. Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) $284,496.95
5. KANG Sung-hoon (KOR) $238,285.84
6. Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) $214,296.24
7. Hiroyuki FUJITA (JPN) $207,624.81
8. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) $192,619.25
9. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) $180,108.77
10. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) $164,420.58
11. KIM Kyung-tae (KOR) $145,799.81
12. Adam BLYTH (AUS) $145,662.52
13. Angelo QUE (PHI) $145,612.13
14. NOH Seung-yul (KOR) $140,399.07
15. BAE Sang-moon (KOR) $137,061.34
16. Johan EDFORS (SWE) $128,712.17
17. Ted OH (KOR) $127,586.16
18. Mardan MAMAT (SIN) $124,670.60
19. James KAMTE (RSA) $116,208.02
20. Darren BECK (AUS) $110,488.54

September 28, 2009