IN-FORM KARMIS ON SONG AT MERCURIES TAIWAN MASTERS

Taipei, September 30: South Africa’s Peter Karmis continued his rich vein of form by taking the opening lead at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Thursday.

On a day of tough scoring, the diminutive Karmis, who won his maiden Asian Tour title in Singapore earlier this month, was one of four players to break par with a two-under-par 70 at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.

Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand, Malaysia’s Iain Steel and Chinese Taipei’s Chen Tsang-te battled to a 71 at the US$500,000 Asian Tour event where rain and strong wind made life difficult for players.

Lu Wei-chih, also of Chinese Taipei and former Mercuries Taiwan Masters champion in 2005, closed with a 72 to take a share of fifth place with countryman Lin Keng-chi, Prom Meesawat of Thailand and Filipino Mars Pucay.

Title holder Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei was bunched up in tied ninth position on 73 while Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Min-nan posted a 76 to give himself a chance of becoming the oldest player on the Asian Tour to make the halfway cut at the age of 70 years and 51 days old.

Karmis, who started on the back nine, made the turn in 37 before shooting birdies on holes three, six and eight where he sank a huge 40 feet putt from the edge of the green.

“It was very tough out there and you were coming out of the rough all day and it is difficult for guys like me to hit it on the green. I played well on my back nine because I hit a lot of fairways,” said the 29-year-old.

He admitted that his confidence is soaring following his victory at the Handa Singapore Classic.

“I’m playing with a lot of confidence after my victory in Singapore. I played well in all the tournaments after my win and my game has been good from my driving to my putting,” said Karmis who finished in tied 12th place at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taipei two weeks ago.

Malaysian Steel, who finished third in Taipei two weeks ago, got off to bright start when he birdied the first hole after his eight iron approach landed three feet from the hole. He made the turn in 36 and was disappointed not to take a share of the lead after a bogey on the last hole.

“It was hard today. I don’t know how the conditions were in the morning but it couldn’t be any better. I hit the ball solid off the tee and that kept me in play and when I missed the green I would get up-and-down,” said the 39-year-old.

“I didn’t think scores would be that great. I thought maybe one guy would go to four or five-under but that didn’t happen which is good,” added the Malaysian.

Thailand’s Pariya, 26, struggled under the tough conditions but was delighted to stay in touch with the leader after registering five birdies against two bogeys and one double bogey on the 13th hole where his tee shot landed behind a tree.

“The conditions were very tough. I’m soaking wet! Heavy rain was coming down from left to right. It was a great test of golf,” said Pariya, who is searching for his maiden Asian Tour victory.

“I’d take my score any day. I will even take it twice on the weekend. My short game is great. I put a lot of my balls in position on the green. Under-par is a great score in these conditions,” he added.

Lu put his course knowledge to good use as he returned with two birdies against two bogeys. “I know this course well and where to place my ball. It wasn’t easy out there but I’m glad with what I shot,” said Lu.

Leading first round scores:

70 - Peter Karmis (RSA)
71 - Pariya Junhasavasdikul (THA), Iain Steel (MAS), Chen Tsang-te (TPE)
72 - Lu Wei-chih (TPE), Lin Keng-chi (TPE), Mars Pucay (PHI), Prom Meesawat (THA)
73 - David Johnson (USA), Tsai Chi-huang (TPE), Angelo Que (PHI), S. Sivachandran (MAS), Lin Wen-Tang (TPE), Sattaya Supupramai (THA), Udorn Duangdecha (THA), Atthaphon Prathummanee (THA), Adam Blyth (AUS)
74 - Lee Sung (KOR), Weng Young-tien (TPE), Panuwat Muenlek (THA)

ASIAN LEGEND HSIEH FORESEES BRIGHT FUTURE FOR ASIAN GOLF

Taipei, September 30: Asian golf legend Hsieh Min-nan of Chinese Taipei believes the standard of golf in Asia has improved tremendously over the years.

Hsieh, who was victorious in the 1972 World Cup of Golf where he won the team and individual titles, hailed Korean Yang Yong-eun’s Major victory at the US PGA Championship last year as the pinnacle for Asian golf so far.

“His victory was just amazing and if you look at the current crop of players, you will see so many talented players from Thailand, Korea, Japan and of course from Chinese Taipei,” said Hsieh, who started his campaign at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters today.

“Last time, it was the American golfers who dominated the game but it has changed over the years and now you see many Asians playing abroad and doing well,” he added.

Hsieh put himself in prime position of becoming the oldest player on the Asian Tour at age 70 years and 51 days old to make the halfway cut at the US$500,000 after shooting an opening four-over-par 76 on tough scoring conditions.

The Mercuries Taiwan Masters is the second Asian Tour tournament to be held in Taipei in the span of three weeks after the inaugural Yeangder Tournament Players Championship. The Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship, an Asian Development Tour event was also held for the first time in August.

Hsieh was delighted to see the vast development of golf in Chinese Taipei and in the region and hopes the growth of golf in Asia will continue to blossom.

“When I first started playing golf, there was only one golf course in Chinese Taipei but now there are roughly about 70 golf courses here,” said Hsieh, who has won numerous titles in Japan.

“The younger generation are also beginning to take up the game of golf and many have turned it into a career. Hopefully they will succeed and make their country proud,” said Hsieh who tipped Lin Wen-tang to successfully defend his title at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club this week.

Despite his age of 70, Hsieh has no plans of retiring as he continues to play on the Seniors Tour in Japan and hopes to write a slice of history this week.

“Everyone in Taipei is hoping for me to make the cut and I’m going to try my best and do it,” said Hsieh, who is also the chairman of the Taiwan Seniors Tour.

With stamina and willpower that belies his age, Hsieh revealed that constant jogging and light workout keeps him on his toes.

“You have to be disciplined and exercise a lot. Obviously I’m lacking in distance now compared to the younger players and need to work out more often to ensure I can hit my ball further. I still hit the ball straight and that’s my strong point,” said Hsieh.