|
Mo moving up on Order of Merit
 Korea’s Mo Joong-kyung never doubted his ability to win again as he ended a 12-year drought by lifting the Singha Thailand PGA Championship on Sunday.
Mo was left speechless having claimed his second title in 12 years which he believes was a result of hard work and self belief.
“This is a very special moment for me. First time I won in Guam was in the second year of my professional career. That win got me going and winning again after 12 years is very special,” said Mo, who won the 1996 Guam Open.
The win at the Santiburi Country Club Chiang Rai was the first for Mo in Thailand. He came close back in 1997 when he finished second behind Tiger Woods at the Asian Classic. Mo then shifted his focus to Japan in 1999 before returning to the Asian Tour in 2000.
A reflection of his hard work paying off was in 2004 when he enjoyed one of his best seasons chalking up five top-10 finishes. He also nailed a win on the Korean circuit in the same year. Mo credited his strong 2004 showing to strict pre-season preparations.
This year was no exception as Mo will continue to adopt a similar approach during the mid-season break on the Asian Tour in the hopes of staying in the winner’s circle.
“I’m just going to enjoy the moment but I plan to work harder on my game during the break and come out stronger.
“During the 12 years, I had a couple of chances. In 2004, I lost in a play off in Beijing and also played in the last group in Bintan. The Asian Tour players are getting better and it’s so hard to win out here. I never doubted myself. I always tell myself that if I work hard enough, it’ll come to me and this week, it came to me,” added the Korean star.
Mo has played in six events this season and missed the cut only once at the Pine Valley Beijing Open. He then recorded a 46th place finish at the Bangkok Airways Open before his winning run in Thailand which pushed him up to 29th place on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.
“I’ve got two sons and they watched me play in Koh Samui but I didn’t play well then. It would have been nice if they were here but I’m bringing a trophy back to them.”
Filipino Juvic Pagunsan produced his second straight top-10 result when he finished second in Chiang Rai while in-form Thai Prayad Marksaeng and Australia’s David Gleeson ended their campaign in a tie for third place. Pagunsan rose to 47th spot on the money list while Prayad and Gleeson were ranked 12th and 59th respectively.
New Zealand’s Mark Brown remains on top of the rankings with earnings of US$651,093.
The Asian Tour has reached the mid-year break but there will be much at stake when the season resumes at the Selangor Masters in August.
“I’ll always try to play as many tournaments as possible. I’ve got sponsors who want me to play in Korea as well. Wining here and getting full status will change quite a few things for me,” said Mo.
Order of Merit Top-20 (click here for full Order of Merit):
Pos Player US$
1 Mark BROWN (NZL) 651,093
2 Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 540,694
3 S.S.P. CHOWRASIA (IND) 439,930
4 Arjun ATWAL (IND) 419387
5 Scott STRANGE (AUS) 280,985
6 Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 256,643
7 LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 249,086
8 Kane WEBBER (AUS) 230,304
9 Taichiro KIYOTA (JPN) 217,163
10 Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG) 198,271
11 NOH Seung-yul (KOR) 186,173
12 Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 180,922
13 Digvijay SINGH (IND) 152,781
14 Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 150,088
15 Scott HEND (AUS) 139,979
16 Scott BARR (AUS) 134,001
17 LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 127,004
18 Shiv KAPUR (IND) 121,294
19 HWANG In-choon (KOR) 118,577
20 Gaurav GHEI (IND) 118,079
June 30, 2008
|
del.icio.us
digg
reddit
stumbleupon
facebook
google
What are these 
Email This Page
