Chawrasia stays in hunt for Order of Merit crown

The Indian was disappointed with the result but took solace that he edged closer to Merit leader Green, whom he trails by USD 142,558 with four Asian Tour events left to play this season.

Indian golfer S.S.P. Chawrasia continued to pile pressure on the Order of Merit leader Gavin Green of Malaysia after finishing tied seventh at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia continued to pile pressure on the Order of Merit leader Gavin Green of Malaysia after finishing tied seventh at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

Chawrasia led the event in the opening three rounds before stumbling to a two-over-par 72 yesterday to miss out on his second victory in 2017. A win in Hong Kong would have taken Chawrasia to the top of the Order of Merit.

The Indian was disappointed with the result but took solace that he edged closer to Merit leader Green, whom he trails by USD 142,558 with four Asian Tour events left to play this season.

“I missed a couple of putts in the final round but that’s alright. It’s part of the game. I’ll be playing in the next few events and there’s still a good chance for me to take over the leader on the Order of Merit. It’s not over yet at least for the Order of Merit title,” said Chawrasia.

Green finished joint 62nd in Hong Kong with Scott Hend of Australia, who is still in the running to become the first player to win back-to-back Order of Merit crowns.

Hend trails in third place on the Merit ranking with earnings of USD 439,229 while David Lipsky of the United States stayed in second place on USD 461,179.

Green, Hend and Chawrasia will head to the 1million (approximately USD 1.07 million) AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, which gets underway on Thursday, where they will continue their battle for the Order of Merit crown.

Young Thai Phachara Khongwatmai stayed in fifth place on the Order of Merit with earnings of USD 358,352 while countryman Poom Saksansin, who finished tied-16th in Hong Kong, moved to sixth on USD 326,678. Jazz Janewattananond, also of Thailand, occupies the seventh place on USD 305,925.

The Asian Tour will head to the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open this week and it will be staged concurrently with the Asian Golf Championship, which marks the Tour’s return to China for the first time in nine years.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will be played at the Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resort while the Asian Golf Championship, which features Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Nicholas Fung of Malaysia, is staged at the Kaikou Golf Club in Xiamen, Fujian.