Kuala Lumpur: In lifting his sixth Asian Tour title which made him the player with the most victories from Chinese Taipei, Lin Wen-tang proved he was finally out of a mini slump and back to his best form.

The 38-year-old rolled the right numbers to win the inaugural Solaire Open in the Philippines on Sunday to end a three-year title drought and a lean two-year spell where he lost his full playing rights on the region’s premier Tour last season.

Niggling injuries have not been too kind for the tenacious Lin but his success at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club served as a timely reminder that he was very capable of establishing his lasting legacy in Chinese Taipei and across Asia.

The victory over Thammanoon Srirot of Thailand and Canadian newcomer Richard T. Lee took his career tally one more than Lin Keng-chi and Lu Wen-teh and he is now eyeing a repeat of his best season in 2008 when he won twice and posted seven other top-10s to break into the world’s top-50 then.

“Yes, it has been a long wait! It has been three years since I last won. I’m really glad I did it,” said Lin, whose winner’s cheque of US$54,000 took him up to 21st position on the latest Order of Merit .

“Something which not many people know about me is that I have very strong motivation and I never give up.”

Born into a family of golfers where his father, also a professional golfer, taught him and his two other brothers the game, Lin lived up to his reputation as a great escape artiste by producing a birdie and par save from the trees over the closing two holes to secure his long-awaited triumph.

It was reminiscent of his wonder shot from out of the trees during the 2008 Hong Kong Open which kept him in the play-off where he subsequently defeated Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari.

“At that moment, I felt like I’m at the 2008 Hong Kong Open once again. It was an amazing putt! I think Lady Luck was really on my side to let me win this tournament,” he said.

“I think Wack Wack has to be one of the top three most difficult golf courses on the Asian Tour. I believe it’s not just for me, but for all the players who have played here. Overall, I think the course has become more beautiful than in the past.”

Lee, playing his rookie season on the Asian Tour, moved up to 33rd place on the Order of Merit with his tied second finish while Thammanoon, who is a five-time Asian Tour winner, moved up to 35th position.

Another Qualifying School graduate, Korea’s Wang Jeung-hun, jumped to 55th place after finishing fourth in the Solaire Open, which is one of two new tournaments to join the Asian Tour Schedule in early 2013.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who did not play in Wack Wack, leads the Order of Merit with US$616,535 thanks largely to his victory in the Maybank Malaysian Open last month.

The Asian Tour is celebrating its milestone 10th season after establishing itself as a players’ organisation in 2004.

ASIAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT – TOP-20

Pos. Player                                      Earnings (US$)
1.     Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA  616,535
2.     Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND)       269,066
3.     Scott HEND (AUS)                    207,915
4.     LIANG Wen-chong (CHN)         175,909
5.     BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR)           147,004
6.     Anirban LAHIRI (IND)                86,586
7.     Bryce EASTON (RSA)              85,005
8.     Wade ORMSBY (AUS)             82,868
9.     Joonas GRANBERG (FIN)        80,812
10.   Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA)        74,196
11.   Shiv KAPUR (IND)                    65,842
12.   SIDDIKUR (BAN)                      62,790
13.   KIM Gi-whan (KOR)                 62,627
14.   Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND)          61,620
15.   Mithun PERERA (SRI)              61,477
16.   Boonchu RUANGKIT (THA)      61,046
17.   Prayad MARKSAENG (THA)    57,721
18.   Berry HENSON (USA)              56,626
19.   Himmat RAI (IND)                     56,525
20.   Prom MEESAWAT (THA)         55,201