SSP Chawrasia, riding on his title triumph at the Hero Indian Open golf, has surged to the fourth spot in the latest Asian Tour Order of Merit list released on Monday. (SSP Chawrasia Wins Indian Open Title, Anirban Lahiri Finishes Tied Second)
Chawrasia’s victory at the Delhi Golf Club put him behind merit leader Marcus Fraser of Australia by slightly over USD 200,000 with seven events played on the Asian Tour so far.
The Indian, who has earnings of USD 310,551 credited his never-say-die attitude which played a pivotal role in sealing his return to the champions club after two years.
“My hunger to win kept increasing after every loss. That’s what kept me going whenever I went through a low phase. Looking back, I feel that missing the cuts in the last three weeks made me hungrier for the Hero Indian Open,” said Chawrasia.
If the early performances on the Asian Tour is any indication of the exciting season ahead, fans can expect a keenly-fought battle for the prestigious merit title which will go down to the wire come December.
Fraser may have taken the early pole position when he ended his six-year title drought by winning the Maybank Championship Malaysia.
However, Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena, who is in second place on the Order of Merit, has also issued his own statement of intent with several worthy performances including tied-fourth and second finishes at the SMBC Singapore Open and the Maybank Championship Malaysia respectively.
Korea’s Soomin Lee has also made a blistering start to the season with three top-10s in his first four starts which played a huge role in taking him up to third place on the money list.
The Asian Tour will next head to the Land of the Rising Sun for the Panasonic Open Golf Championship.
The event is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) and will be played at the Chiba Country Club from April 21-24.
