Iskandar Johor Open – Marcus Fraser and Thaworn Wiratchant face each other for the Order of Merit crown
The Iskandar Johor Open is the only event left before the end of the 2012 Asian Tour season and the race is on, to secure cards for the 2013 season.
For many, the goal will be to climb into the top-60 in the Asian Tour Order of Merit, in a bid to retain their full-time playing cards for the upcoming season.
On the other hand, Thaworn Wiratchant and Marcus Fraser will be contending against each other to end the season on top of the money list.
Fraser, who made it to the top of the rankings, following his tied third finish at the UBS Hong Kong Open, skipped the King's Cup and the Thailand Golf Championship.
Wiratchant, in the meantime, took advantage of the situation and displaced the Australian to the second spot, after finishing tied for the second place at the King's Cup.
It was expected that Fraser may also skip the season-ending event at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club.
However, Wiratchant received a challenge call when he came to know about Fraser’s commitment to participate in the US$2 million event in Johor Bahru.
The Australian currently trails Wiratchant by around US$25,000, and certainly has the potential to make it to the top of the leaderboard, with a strong finish in the tournament.
Last week, Wiratchant participated in the Thailand Golf Championship and finished tied for the 36th position on the leaderboard.
Talking to the Asian Tour’s official website, he expressed his disappointment in carding a 77 in the final round, which restrained him from stretching his lead in the Order of Merit.
“It is still an open race. It is going to be interesting. I struggled with my driver in the final round (in Thailand) so I hope it will work for me in Johor,” said Thaworn.
“Winning the Order of Merit again is definitely going to be a big achievement as it shows that age is not barrier to success,” added the Thai veteran.
Jbe Kruger and Gaganjeet Bhullar, who hold the third and the fourth spots in the money list, respectively, will also feature in this week’s event.
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