Asian Development Tour race reaches a head

KUALA LUMPUR—The race to top the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit and earn a place on the Asian Tour proper reaches its climax this week with the PGM-MIDF-KLGCC Classic starting on Thursday.

The stakes will be high at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, as the leading three players in the rankings will earn cards for the Asian Tour for 2012.

Jonathan Moore of the United States leads the Order of Merit and is all but guaranteed of his place, but Taiwanese duo Chiang Chen-chih and Kao Shang-hung, ranked second and third respectively, need solid performances to cement their positions.

If they miss the cut in Kuala Lumpur, Japan’s Takafumi Kawane and Artemio Murakami of the Philippines, a former Asian Tour winner, could sneak in and pinch qualification from under their noses.

Moore, winner of the PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic in May, is hoping to bag a Malaysian double in his rookie season in Asia.

“It is really a huge surprise to be leading. I came close to winning a second title in Taipei and the Philippines and I feel my form is good enough to aim for a second title,” said Moore, who is a former US Walker Cup team member.

The development tour was launched last year to help young and aspiring professionals hone their skills before joining the Asian Tour.