Brown on a hat-trick in Malaysia and atop the Order of Merit

Mark Brown, the new Asian Tour Order of Merit leader, has dedicated his meteoric rise to the memory of his late father and will this week chase for a slice of golf history.

The New Zealander claimed a stunning second straight victory at the Johnnie Walker Classic in India on Sunday, seven days after his maiden success at the SAIL Open presented by Jaypee Greens which was also played in the sub-continent.

With his form and confidence in full flight, the 33-year-old will be looking to make Asian Tour history at the Maybank Malaysian Open starting on Thursday as no player has ever won three tournaments in a row.

But as Brown, who has shot up to 64th in the Official World Golf Ranking, reflected on his magical two weeks in India, which took his season’s winnings to US$537,833 and dislodged India’s S.S.P. Chowrasia from the top of the rankings, the Kiwi dedicated his success to his father.

“He was always so supportive of my golf in a quiet sort of way. He didn't come and watch me play, but when I told him that I was going to give it (golf) up in 2003, you could tell he was pretty disappointed in that because he always believed in me and believed that if you tried long and hard enough, you'll succeed, and I didn't quite hear what he was saying at the time.

“But that was part of the reason in coming back, also, that I would like to do something half-decent for him,” said Brown.

Brown was a highly rated amateur, winning numerous honours in New Zealand but when he turned professional in 1996 as a 21-year-old, he struggled to translate his form in the play-for-pay ranks.

After toiling on the Australasian, Canadian and Asian Tours for several seasons, he gave up touring life and became a junior development coach. But with his own swing coach Mal Tongue constantly urging him to give his career a second chance, Brown returned to Asia and finished in the top-60 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit last season to earn full playing rights.

“Mal was always in my ear, saying that I was good enough to make it. I didn't always quite have the same belief. But I came back to it and we worked hard and last year playing on the Asian Tour was huge for me because I played well, got my confidence up and realised that maybe I can compete,” said Brown.

“Last week was pretty emotional for me as you might have seen. I finished on the 18th green, and I was really thinking about my dad who passed away four years ago and I've got that out of my system. This week, to win a tournament of this magnitude is incredible and kind of life-changing, so this one is very special, also,” said Brown, who defeated a field that included Vijay Singh and Adam Scott.

“My golfing career has been mostly down, sometimes up, but not the last two weeks. Like I approached this week, it's important to get your feet back to earth and play well in the upcoming tournaments.”

With Asian Tour members winning two of the three co-sanctioned events with the European Tour this season, Brown believes that the rising standard of play on the Asian Tour deserves more respect and recognition.

“I think the Asian Tour is a very strong tour, and people who have not spent a lot of time in this area would not know that. There're a lot of good tournaments and the courses we play are tough. So in that respect, I don't think it's a total surprise that you'll have Asian Tour winners,” he said.

Shiv Kapur, who finished as the highest placed local player last weekend at tied fifth place, was delighted that Asians, especially the Indians, have performed strongly as well at the start of the 2008 season, which is poised to see the Asian Tour offer a record 30 tournaments and over US$40 million in prize money.

“I had no doubt in my mind that the Indians would do well. I think we’ve showcased to the world that we could play against the top players and we stacked up against the best of them. It’s a very encouraging sign,” said Kapur, who moved up to eighth place on the Order of Merit.

The Maybank Malaysian Open, the fifth leg of this season’s Asian Tour, will be played at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club starting on Thursday.

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

Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)
1. Mark BROWN (NZL) 537,833
2. S.S.P. CHOWRASIA (IND) 416,660
3. Scott STRANGE (AUS) 194,185
4. Taichiro KIYOTA (JPN) 189,560
5. Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 175,698
6. Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 147,595
7. Digvijay SINGH (IND) 122,666
8. Shiv KAPUR (IND) 110,254
9. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 87,452
10. Arjun ATWAL (IND) 86,057
11. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 83,750
12. Gaurav GHEI (IND) 73,640
13. Scott HEND (AUS) 70,033
14. Scott BARR (AUS) 63,161
15. Simon YATES (SCO) 52,294
16. Unho PARK (AUS) 49,778
17. Tony CAROLAN (AUS) 49,717
18. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 46,694
19. Chris RODGERS (ENG) 46,333
20. Kane WEBBER (AUS) 42,342

March 3, 2008

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