HOPEFULS EYE GLORY IN TAIPEI

Kuala Lumpur, August 19, 2010: A group of rising stars from across Asia will be on the hunt for glory at the inaugural Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship next week.

Akhmal Tarmizee of Malaysia, who is currently second on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, Michael Tran of Vietnam, local hope Hsu Chia-jen and Australia’s Brad Smith will headline the US$90,000 tournament at the North Bay Golf & Country Club from August 26 to 29.

The Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship is the first event in Taipei to be included on the newly launched Asian Development Tour where the top three golfers on the Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the Asian Tour next season.

The unheralded Hsu, ranked fourth on the Order of Merit, has been a consistent figure since sharpening his skills on the Asian Development Tour.

He finished tied third at the Air Bagan Myanmar Masters in January and went on to claim a tied 18th place finish at the Negeri Sembilan Masters Invitational in Malaysia last month. A good result on home soil next week will push him further up on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit.

Malaysian Akhmal is also in good position to solidify his Order of Merit ranking with a good result. He has come close on several occasions to winning his first Asian Development Tour title but settled for tied third and tied second at the Air Bagan Myanmar Masters and Negeri Sembilan Masters Invitational respectively.