BRUNEI OPEN RELATED STORIES Brunei Open home page Brunei Open Preview Round 1: Lin in 5-way tie atop the leaderboard Round 2: Refreshed Le Vesconte takes 3 shot lead Round 3: Birdie burst leaves Le Vesconte 4 ahead Round 4: Lin claims second win with stunning 65 Final Scores & Prize Money More about the Course Zhang wants to celebrate his century in style Chia aims to make up for early 2006 Brunei exit 2006: Wang takes Brunei title in a playoff Hend fit and ready to crown his rookie year Liang looking for second title in Brunei Wang will return to defend Brunei title Third Brunei Open teed up for August Details of the Empire Hotel & CC Golf in Brunei feature ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Swedes sweep World Cup win Lin & Marksaeng near top 50 HK: Lin wins in 3-way playoff Asian Tour hits landmark 300 in HK Asian Tour releases 2009 schedule Report predicts 30% China golf growth GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Sweden win World Cup Internationals claim Lexus Cup Pampling wins in a playoff Choi wins Skins Game Amateur: EGU allow range finders

Murakami looking to repeat Johor form in Brunei

Asia’s newest rising star Artemio Murakami of the Philippines bids for a second straight title at the US$300,000 Brunei Open starting on Thursday knowing he must first get his head out of the clouds.

The bubbly 24-year-old, who is of Japanese-Filipino parentage, produced a surprise win at the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia last weekend to kick start the second half of the Asian Tour season in the best possible fashion.

Three days after his career breakthrough, Murakami still can’t believe that he had won. “I still can’t believe it. There are so many good players on the Asian Tour and I always felt that I wasn’t good enough yet to win but I somehow managed to pull it off,” said Murakami.

“I gave myself three to four years but to do it in my second year on Tour, it’s great. The last guy who won two weeks in a row in Asia was Australian Terry Pilkadaris (in 2004) and I’ll try my best to achieve the same feat.

“I don’t want people to say that my win was a fluke and I would like to capture a second win, hopefully this week. I feel good but I need to put last week aside now and focus on the Brunei Open.”

The Filipino will come up against the likes of current Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit leader Liang Wen-chong of China, title holder Wang Ter-chang of Chinese Taipei and the third-ranked Scott Hend of Australia in his bid for more glory at the spectacular Empire Hotel and Country Club.

Murakami first came to prominence when he became the youngest winner of the Philippine Amateur at the age of 15 in 1999. But his rise was stalled when he quit the game in 2001 disillusioned after he was excluded from the national team.

The sudden death of his father in 2003 saw Murakami drop out of school but Frankie Minoza, the country’s all-time leading golfer, offered support. “I wasn’t able to continue with my schooling for certain reasons and then Frankie invited me to caddie for him in 2003 in Japan and it was him who encouraged me to start playing again.

“He would say ‘look, you can hit the ball so much better than these other guys. If they can do it for a career, why can’t you?’ Frankie brought my motivation back in golf. He’s my life saver, my mentor. I’ve learnt a lot from him.”

Murakami finished tied 31st in last year’s Brunei Open, closing the week with a five-under-par 66 which has given him the belief that he can challenge for the title this weekend. “Yesterday in practice, I was hitting it poorly but this morning, it was so much better. I really like this course,” he said.

Veteran Wang, triumphant in a play-off against Australian David Gleeson last year, is expecting a tough time in his title defence despite having happy memories of his win.

“Hopefully I can play well again. I remember that I chipped and putted really well on the back nine on Sunday and that pushed me to victory. My form has been up and down this year and I need to look for some consistency. It could be due to my age as I’m not getting younger,” said the 45-year-old, who won with a 16-under-par 268 total.

He was pleasantly surprise to be put up at a luxurious villa at Empire Hotel, especially with his wife taking the trip with him to Brunei. “It’s a nice gesture from the organisers and maybe if I can win it again, I’ll get the presidential suite next year!”

Liang, the man in form with eight top-10s including one title to lead the UBS Order of Merit, is ready to grit his teeth in search of a second title. The tenacious 29-year-old was forced to withdraw from Tuesday’s pro-am due to a muscle twinge near his shoulder and neck but is ready for the Empire challenge.

“It’s great to be here. We’re at a superb golf course and the hotel is really nice. I’m happy to be here. I’ll try my best to win this tournament,” said Liang, who is making his debut in Brunei.

“My neck feels a bit better now. After I arrived on Monday, I just couldn’t get to sleep and woke up in pain. I’ve been having physiotherapy for the past two days and it’s eased the pain somewhat,” he said.

Big-hitting Hend will be hoping to bounce back from last week’s missed cut outing in Malaysia to get his season back on track. The Australian, who has three top-fives this season, believes he can challenge for the UBS Order of Merit crown although he trails Liang by over US$115,000 in third place.

“For me to win the UBS Order of Merit, I’ll need to play really well from now onwards including the Barclays Singapore Open. I won’t be able to play in the UBS Hong Kong Open as I’m down to play in the US Qualifying School Stage two. It’s one title that I would love to have but I know it’s something that you can’t take care off in one week.

“You look at Liang, he’s had eight top-10s. He’s just plodding along and he’s got a win which has helped while I haven’t won. He’s playing really solid and he really deserves it. At the moment, he’s leading but things can easily change in the second half of the year,” said Hend.

August 29, 2007