Noh win puts him 8th on Order of Merit

From playing golf on the sandy beaches near his home, Korea's teenage phenomenon Noh Seung-yul has now boarded the Asian Tour's route to stardom. And there is simply no stopping him.

The 17-year-old became the third youngest winner in Asia when he won the Midea China Classic at the weekend, holding off three-time winner Terry Pilkadaris of Australia by one stroke.

The triumph propelled Noh into eighth place on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit where the winner's cheque of US$79,250 swelled his season's haul to US$297,028.

A maiden victory was never in doubt for the supremely talented Noh as he has taken the professional game by storm. After earning his Tour card from Qualifying School this year, the Korean quickly stamped his mark by finishing runner-up at the SAIL Open in India and Asian Tour International in Thailand.

He had a great chance of writing golf history at the Maekyung Open in Seoul in May but his hopes of becoming the Tour's youngest ever winner were dashed by compatriot Hwang Inn-choon, who beat him in a play-off.

But following that disappointment, Noh only got stronger. Now that he already has a first title under his belt, many are expecting him to become a world-beater.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han led the chorus of praise. "It is tremendous what Noh has already achieved in his rookie season on the Asian Tour. Not only has he displayed his immense talent and abilities, his poise when he is under pressure stands out as well.

"I believe he has the potential to become one of the world's best players in the years to come. He's got the game and as he gets older and stronger, he can only become better at what he does. It's great to see that he is taking full advantage of his playing opportunities on the Asian Tour to excel."

Noh, who often wears a stoic look while competing, couldn't hide his joy after the winning breakthrough. "I was winning amateur championships before I earned my Asian Tour card. But I now feel that I've developed and matured in my game after playing with the other seasoned veterans on the Asian Tour. These are invaluable opportunities which I am grateful to the Asian Tour," said Noh.

"With this win, I believe it'll open up more opportunities for me. I'm looking forward to playing more and hopefully be the best that I can be."

Noh learned the game when he was seven, playing on the sandy beaches near his home in Seoul. By the age of the 10, he got bitten hard by the golf bug and would hit balls from the sand every morning, sometimes as early as 4.30am.

He developed into one of Korea's top amateurs, highlighted by his double when he claimed the Korean junior amateur and Korean amateur titles in 2005. Noh subsequently turned professional at a tender age of 16 in 2007 and with his father Gu-huieun, an avid golfer himself, on the bag, he earned his 2008 Asian Tour card through Qualifying School by placing tied 24th.

Noh's major challenge apart from shooting birdies and staying out from hazards is finding the time to complete his education in high school.

"I am still in school but the school understands my situation and I catch up on my homework and school related matters when I am back in Korea. I've been able to balance golf and school as I'm a decent student with decent grades too," he said.

"I am pleasantly surprised with how well I have started the season. I never imagined that I would have such a solid start as the standard is strong on the Asian Tour. It shows that age doesn't matter. I have the drive to become the best and that encourages me to practice harder," he said.

Like many aspiring Asians, Noh hopes to eventually land on the US PGA Tour and emulate the success of his compatriot Choi Kyung-ju, an alumni of the Asian Tour.

"My ultimate goal is to compete on the US PGA Tour and to succeed there, just like K.J. This is a learning curve for me on the way to my ultimate goal. I enjoy the game but it's not so much passion but more on a goal I have set which I want to achieve," said Noh.

The Asian Tour moves to this week's US$500,000 Macau Open, which begins on Thursday.

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

Pos. Player Earnings (US$)

1. Mark BROWN (NZL) 740,767
2. Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 589,994
3. S.S.P. CHOWRASIA (IND) 439,930
4. Arjun ATWAL (IND) 430,201
5. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 422,690
6. BAE Sang-moon (KOR) 405,182
7. LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 316,754
8. NOH Seung-yul (KOR) 297,028
9. Scott STRANGE (AUS) 283,340
10. Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 260,043
11. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 243,567
12. Kane WEBBER (AUS) 233,833
13. Scott HEND (AUS) 221,730
14. Taichiro KIYOTA (JPN) 220,831
15. Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG) 214,239
16. LU Wen-teh (TPE) 210,309
17. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 207,937
18. Adam BLYTH (AUS) 183,644
19. Digvijay SINGH (IND) 158,414
20. Anthony KANG (USA) 148,792

October 20, 2008

Bookmark page with: