Kuala Lumpur: Scott Hend of Australia is aiming to extend his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit by putting on a strong showing at the US$7 million CIMB Classic which starts on Thursday.
A solid result at the TPC Kuala Lumpur will move the big-hitting Hend closer towards achieving his goal of becoming the Asian Tour’s number one golfer after several close shaves in the last few seasons.
Hend will be joined by a strong cast of Asian Tour stars which include countryman Marcus Fraser, Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei, Jeunghun Wang of Korea and Filipino Miguel Tabuena, who are all in the running to win the prestigious Order of Merit crown.
“Obviously because ten guys from the Asian Tour are here, so big chance to try and move up the Order of Merit and hold your position. It is a very important week in that respect. And also a chance, a possibility of getting a PGA TOUR card if I win,” said Hend, who is paired with Ernie Els and Hideki Matsuyama in the opening two rounds.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to win nine times in Asia and I finished second a fair few times. I’m from Australia and I’m very close to Asia and being able to win the Order of Merit, it is just a goal of mine to achieve. I have other goals and if they fall in line I’ll win the Order of Merit. Every little goal becomes a big goal,” added the Australian.
Ranked 66th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Hend, who played on the PGA TOUR in 2004 and 2005, also hopes to break into the top-50 in the world by the end of 2016 to qualify for the all the Majors and World Golf Championship tournaments.
“My goal is obviously to win as many tournaments as possible and possibly in the coming years, get back on the PGA TOUR. I never played at the Masters Tournament and I think it would be a golf course I would be able to play very well round. I would like to be there once and walk down a couple of fairways,” said the 43-year-old Hend.
Chinese Taipei rising star Chan hopes to recover from a minor wrist injury ahead of his debut appearance at the CIMB Classic. He is relishing the opportunity to play against the PGA TOUR stars after enjoying a splendid season on the Asian Tour where he won two titles.
“The winning score here last year (26-under) was very crazy so I know what I’m looking forward to. My target is to shoot four-under every day. I injured my right wrist in Macao last week. I think I practised too much but now it is feeling much better,” said Chan.
“I’m very happy I can play in the CIMB Classic because there are many stars here. I can learn a lot of the PGA TOUR players. It will really help me in my career. I think I will feel a bit nervous but I’m in Asia so I’ll be okay. It might be a different story if I was playing in the United States,” smiled the 30-year-old.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar ended a two-year title drought when he won the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea three weeks ago before following up on that win with a fifth place result in Indonesia to hand him a third appearance at the CIMB Classic.
A return to the CIMB Classic will bring back good memories for the Indian who finished in tied 10th place in 2012.
“This is such a prestigious event and it is such a big honour for any Asian Tour player to be part of this week. In a way it is such a big inspiration for us. This is definitely one of the best weeks of the year,” said Bhullar.
“At the end of the day, you work hard to get into these types of tournaments. Your mind set is always to play well on the Asian Tour and win to get into the CIMB Classic. Playing in this event is really a result of my hard work,” he added.
