Noh continues meteoric Order of Merit rise

Korean teenag sensation Noh Seung-yul has continued his incredible rise on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit after registering his third runner-up finish of the season on Sunday.

Noh, who turns 17 on May 29, showed once again that he was indeed the real deal when he challenged for honours at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in Seoul before losing in a play-off to compatriot Hwang Inn-choon.

A cheque of US$66,964 pushed Noh up by seven rungs to 11th place on the latest Merit list where he has a season’s collection of US$175,877. He is also the leading contender for the Rookie of the Year award.

Hwang, who overcame a four-shot deficit on Sunday to deny Noh the chance of becoming the youngest winner on the Asian Tour, made his entry at 19th place on the Order of Merit with his winner’s cheque of US$107,142.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han is predicting a bright future for the supremely talented Noh.

“It is fantastic to see a youngster like Noh making waves on the Asian Tour this season and it will only be a matter of time before he joins the winner’s circle. We are delighted that he has made a name for himself especially when he had to go through the Qualifying School process to earn his playing privileges,” said Han.

“The success of Korean golfers in recent years has certainly paved the way for many exciting young talents to come through. K.J. Choi cut his professional teeth on the Asian Tour early in his career before enjoying his success in the United States and other Korean youngsters like Kim Kyung-tae, Lee Sung and Bae Sang-moon have won titles on the Asian Tour.

“It clearly shows that the Asian Tour is a wonderful breeding ground for new stars.”

The leading seven positions did not change with New Zealander Mark Brown leading the race to win the coveted Merit crown with his season’s haul of US$651,093, thanks largely to back-to-back triumphs at the SAIL Open and Johnnie Walker Classic, both played in India in February.

India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, who has finished second twice this season, remains in second place with US$540,694 while compatriot S.S.P. Chowrasia, the winner of the Emaar-MGF Indian Masters, is third with US$439,930.

The Asian Tour heads to China for the second edition of the Pine Valley Beijing Open this week where its prize money has been doubled to US$1 million. The event will be sanctioned with the China Golf Association and Japan Golf Tour.

All eyes will be on Noh once again in Beijing as the tournament will present his final shot at Asian Tour history. Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadungsil holds the honour of being the youngest winner when he won the Double A International Open on home soil when he was 17 years and five days old.

It has been truly a meteoric rise for the slender Noh, who earned his playing privileges by finishing tied 24th at the gruelling Asian Tour Qualifying School at the end of last year.

In his debut at the SAIL Open, Noh contended for the title before finishing second behind Brown and showed that the performance was not a flash in the pan by finishing second again in the inaugural Asian Tour International in Thailand.

The Korean then finished joint eighth in the Volvo China Open last month, an event sanctioned with the European Tour, before his close brush with golf history at the weekend when he led after the third round in the Maekyung Open before being caught by Hwang.

ASIAN TOUR’S ORDER OF MERIT – TOP-20 (click here for full list):

Pos Player Order of Merit (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) 419,387
5. Scott STRANGE (AUS) 280,985
6. Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 256,643
7. LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 238,091
8. Kane WEBBER (AUS) 219,954
9. Taichiro KIYOTA (JPN) 202,418
10. Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG) 185,871
11. NOH Seung-yul (KOR) 175,877
12. Digvijay SINGH (IND) 148,881
13. Scott BARR (AUS) 134,001
14. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 127,004
15. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 126,512
16. Scott HEND (AUS) 124,131
17. Shiv KAPUR (IND) 121,294
18. Gaurav GHEI (IND) 115,274
19. HWANG Inn-choon (KOR) 107,142
20. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 103,516

May 5, 2008

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