Kuala Lumpur: American James Bowen will be eyeing a third victory of the season at the PGM MIDF KLGCC Masters starting on Thursday to cement his position at the top of the Asian Development Tour (ADT)’s Order of Merit.
Bowen, who currently leads the ranking with a season’s haul of US$38,036, is confident he can top the field in the RM200,000 (approximately US$65,000) event at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club’s East course.
ADT champions Grant Jackson of England, Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn, Singapore’s Quincy Quek and James Byrne of Scotland will also be amongst the strong line-up challenging for honours this week.
Canadian Lindsay Renolds, who is ranked fourth on the Merit list, China’s Ye Jian Feng and Darren Tan of Australia make up a truly cosmopolitan field with more than 20 different nationalities featuring in the PGM MIDF KLGCC Masters, which is the penultimate tournament of the 2013 season. It is co-sanctioned by the ADT and the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM Tour).
Nicholas Fung, the highest ranked golfer in Malaysia, and Iain Steel, who claimed two consecutive victories on the ADT earlier in August, will spearhead the Malaysian challenge which includes Shaaban Hussin, Airil Rizman and S. Siva Chandhran.
Ranked second and third respectively, Fung and Steel will be eager to protect their positions on the Order of Merit to secure their Asian Tour cards for 2014. The top three players from the ADT will earn playing privileges on the region’s premier Tour.
Bowen is determined to prove his worth after missing the halfway cut in Chinese Taipei last week. “I feel good about this week because this course really suits my game. I just have to be patient and keep the ball on the fairways. I’m looking forward to this week,” said the 27-year-old, who has claimed two victories and four top-10 finishes on the ADT this season.
“I had some equipment issues in Taipei last week but it has been sorted out and everything is good right now. It’s my first year playing in Asia and my experience has been really amazing. I hope to finish strong on the ADT so that I can play on the Asian Tour next year,” added Bowen.
Fung hopes to redeem himself with a stellar performance at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club where he finished 62nd in the star-studded CIMB Classic two weeks ago.
“I’m happy with my form right now and I hope to carry on with my good form. I think I’ve got a chance to win here. I played on the West course during CIMB Classic but this week, we’re playing on the East course which suits my game better. I like this course better too, so hopefully I will have a good week,” said the 23-year-old.
With one tournament remaining after this week’s PGM MIDF KLGCC Masters, players will have everything to shoot for as they seek to boost their rankings.
All ADT events receive Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points starting this year. Winners on the ADT will receive a minimum of six world ranking points while the top six players and ties will earn points based on a sliding scale.
The ADT was launched in 2010 with five tournaments before growing to eight in 2011 and 13 last year. It has proven to be a successful platform for upcoming players to gain entry into the region’s premier Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season in 2013.
The PGM MIDF KLGCC Masters will be the 15th leg of the season, with details of the season-ending tournament to be announced in due course.
