Malaysia: Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit leader Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei will be among a multinational cast of talents vying for honours at the PGM Northport Glenmarie Championship next week.

Chan, who won the PGM Lada Langkawi Championship last week to top the Merit rankings, will be on a mission to secure back-to-back wins at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club from May 7 to 10 (Wednesday to Saturday).

He will be joined by players ranging from over 10 countries including local hope Nicholas Fung, Wisut Artjanawat of Thailand, Brett Munson of the United States and Koh Deng Shan of Singapore at the RM200,000 (approximately US$60,000) ADT event.

Thai brothers Sattaya Supupramai and Poosit, Grant Jackson of England, James Byrne of Scotland, Niall Turner of Ireland and Wolmer Murillo of Venezuela will also feature in the tournament.

Chan moved over 90 positions on the Official World Golf Ranking to 328th place after winning his second ADT title when he held off the strong challenge from Singapore’s Koh on the holiday isle of Langkawi.

The victory propelled the 27-year-old to the summit of the Order of Merit where he aims to maintain his position until the end of the 2014 season to earn an Asian Tour card for 2015.

“All the ADT players are young and good. I like playing here because I gain a lot of experience and I can improve on my world rankings,” said Chan.

This season, the ADT will reward the top five players on the final Order of Merit at the end of the season with playing rights for the 2015 Asian Tour season.

This will be a significant boost for aspiring professionals on the ADT as this represents the highest number of Asian Tour cards up for grabs since the ADT was established in 2010. Only the top three players on the final ADT Order of Merit for each season obtained their Asian Tour cards previously.

Working in close partnership with the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, a total of 12 PGM events will feature on this season’s ADT Schedule, giving Malaysian players a big incentive in chasing for a place on the region’s main Tour.

The ADT, which was launched in 2010 with five tournaments before growing to eight in 2011, 13 in 2012 and a record 16 in the 2013 season, has established itself as a successful platform for upcoming players to gain entry on the region’s premier Tour.