Two-way shoot-out for Asian Tour Order of Merit honors
Two-way shoot-out for Asian Tour Order of Merit honors
Agence France-Presse
Kuala Lumpur
Former Thai soldier Thongchai Jaidee and Scotland's Simon
Yates are preparing for a two-way shoot-out for Order of Merit
honors at the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia.
Defending champion Thongchai leads Thai-based Yates by just
under US$53,000 on money list heading into the $500,000 event at
the lush Kota Permai Golf and Country Club which starts Thursday.
With $99,000 on offer to the winner, and $62,000 to the
runner-up, Yates cannot finish lower than second place if he is
to deny Thongchai a second Merit title in four years.
Thongchai, who has pocketed just under $360,000 in prize money
this season, looks well-placed to retain his title. But the Thai
ace is taking no chances and has flown his swing coach to
Malaysia to keep an eye on his game.
The move was partly in response to Thongchai's display at the
Omega Hong Kong Open last week, where he finished joint 38th
after a mixed four rounds where he shot 67-68-72-73.
Thongchai, the first Thai winner on the European Tour
following his Malaysian Open success, has some injury woes though
in his title defense, saying a back strain has been troubling
him.
"I wasn't able to turn my body fully on the back swing in Hong
Kong and used my hands more which resulted in stray shots. (My
swing coach will) fly down to KL with me to keep an eye on my
swing which has some faults at the moment."
Yates meanwhile is enjoying his career best season with one
win and seven top-10s and has surpassed the $300,000 mark in
earnings this year.
Yates, a former downhill skier for Scotland before swapping
his skis for golf clubs, is only $4,500 short of reaching the one
million dollar career earnings milestone.
In La Quinta, California, England's Brian Davis struggled at
the finish but claimed top honors on Monday after the dramatic
final round of the U.S. PGA Tour's 108-hole qualifying
tournament.
Thirty-five players claimed places on the 2005 U.S. PGA Tour,
Davis leading the way with a 17-under par 415 after six rounds in
the endurance test to edge American Rob Rashell by a stroke
despite a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish.
Eight players from outside the United States qualified for
next year's tour, including Australia's Scott Hend and South
Korean Charlie Wi on the cutoff mark of seven-under 425, Wi
dropping a tension packed bogey putt at 18 for his spot.
The top 30 finishers and those level 30th captured tour cards
while the next 50 settled for berths on the US developmental
tour. Some players had to fight through two prior qualifying
rounds to reach this make-or-break event.
Davis captured his first tour spot despite his lackluster
finish, lacking the tension of those 10 strokes behind him. Ten
rivals finished on 425 to make their cards on the number.
Australian David McKenzie and South Africa's Tjaart van der
Walt were the only non-U.S. players among seven who missed a U.S.
tour spot by a single stroke on 426, van der Walt after a final-
round 72 and McKenzie following a closing 71.
Sweden's Richard S. Johnson missed his tour card by two shots.
England's Greg Owen, who also made the U.S. tour for the first
time, shared fourth on 420, joining four Americans one stroke
behind third-place U.S. rival Danny Briggs.
Phillip Price of Wales was the only non-U.S. golfer among
eight on 423. That group included Joey Snyder, who had played
every qualifying event since 1996 but was in the final stage for
the first time in seven years.