Johor Bahru, November 15, 2011 - Man of the moment Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines will seek to overcome his play-off defeat in Singapore with a victory at the Iskandar Johor Open starting on Thursday.
Pagunsan said he is still feeling the adrenaline rush from his Monday play-off and will look to make amends against a stellar line-up gathered at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club.
He will contend with title holder Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Charlie Wi of Korea, who will bid for a third title in Malaysia, and PGA Tour star Anthony Kim of the United States in the US$2 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
The Filipino, the new Asian Tour Order of Merit leader, will carry his immense confidence to the Iskandar Johor Open as he seeks to cement his position on the summit of the money list this year.
“It was such a good experience and now I’ll be playing with a lot more confidence. My goal is to definitely try and win this week,” said the Pagunsan, who has won once on the Asian Tour in 2007.
“It is fantastic to be playing in my first Asian Tour event as the Order of Merit leader. I’ll try to keep my name on the top,” he added.
He admits feeling more pressured to perform but will draw inspiration from his tied seventh placing in the 2009 Iskandar Johor Open.
“I still feel like I’m in the groove. There’s a bit more pressure now seeing that I’m leading on the Order of Merit but it comes with the job,” said the 33-year-old.
Local hope Ben Leong, winner of the 2008 Selangor Masters, is considering changing to the belly putter in hopes of turning his fortunes around.
“I’m testing out the belly putter. I’m just trying something different. I don’t know if I will put it in the bag this week. We’ll see how it goes by Thursday,” said Leong.
The top-60 players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season will keep their Asian Tour card for 2012 and Leong, currently in 82nd place, hopes to put in a good result and break into the safety zone.
“I’ve been hitting it good but wasn’t getting the result. Everything wasn’t combining together. I feel it is just a matter of time before the results come. I need to keep believing in myself,” said the 25-year-old.
India’s Himmat Rai will make a welcome return to the Iskandar Johor Open, the event which he is fondly remembered for pushing K.J. Choi to the brink in 2009 before settling for tied third.
However, he will return to the event this year as an Asian Tour champion after winning the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic in September.
“It is definitely one of the most memorable events for me and I’m extremely focussed on the preparations to play well here again. It has been a solid season for me so far but I’m still committed at pushing the bar in every aspect of my game,” said Rai.
About The Iskandar Johor Open
The Iskandar Johor Open is one of the fastest-growing tournaments on the Asian Tour, and has attracted some of the best golfers in the world. The event was successfully staged at the Royal Johor Country Club for the first three years, and at Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club in 2010.
It returns to Johor for the fifth time at Horizon Hills, where once again golf fans will be able to witness yet another exciting golf tournament which is staking its claim as one of the top events on the Asian Tour calendar. It reaches a new level on the international golf schedule with its elevation to a co-sanctioned tournament with the Asian and European Tours for 2011.
Iskandar Malaysia and Johor Golf Association are continuing with their support of this event, and have created the biggest international event in Johor. Since the inaugural event in 2007, the prize money for the tournament has increased by five-fold from US$300,000 in 2007 to US$1,250,000 in 2010. In 2011, the prize money will grow to a minimum of US$2,000,000.
Past winners include Artemio Murakami of the Philippines, who won the inaugural event in 2007, and South African Retief Goosen, who took home the prestigious prize in 2008. KJ Choi lifted the coveted trophy in 2009, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington ended a two-year winless run in 2010 with a very popular win.
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About The Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), J.Lindeberg (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Royal Selangor (Official Trophy Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), BlackBerry (Official Mobile) and Srixon (Official Ball). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
About The European Tour
The PGA European Tour, a company limited by guarantee, operates a broad range of business initiatives essential to its primary mission of administering professional tournament golf. It is a unique business which generates profits for the benefit of its Members – the tournament players – who receive their dividends by way of competing and winning prize money.
The growth and development of The European Tour is well documented. In 2010, The European Tour International Schedule consisted of 48 tournaments in 27 destinations, with prize money of €132,204,838 compared to a total prize fund of €350,000 when the Tour was born in 1972.
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