Taipei, Sep 5 (IANS): American Jonathan Moore, China's Hu Mu and Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka will be shooting for glory at the $500,000 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) next week.
The trio are eager to win their first Asian Tour title to elevate their careers.
Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea, ranked sixth on the Order of Merit, Hung Chien-yao of Chinese Taipei, Scott Barr of Australia, Thitiphun Chuayprakong of Thailand, Ben Fox of the United States and Filipino veteran Antonio Lascuna will also feature in the event with the aim of winning their maiden Asian Tour event.
Defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar of India will headline the TPC alongside locals Lu Wei-chih, who is making a comeback after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumour a year ago, Lin Wen-tang and reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club Sep 12-15.
China’s Hu narrowly missed out on securing an Asian Tour card at Qualifying School in Thailand earlier this year but has made full use of his limited playing opportunities.
With one top-five result so far this season, Hu currently sits on 35th on the Order of Merit and has set his sights on winning one Asian Tour tournament. He also hopes to improve his position on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), where he is 490th.
“I can’t wait to play in more tournaments and I want to get one win under the belt. Another goal is to get into the top-300 in the world. I have a good chance of doing that. The OWGR is a way for me to see how I’ve improved and progressed,” said Hu.
Moore, who earned his Asian Tour card in 2012 by winning the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit in 2011, will take a more carefree approach.
“I’m just trying to let go more. A few things I’ve learned over the years, one of them is to send the ball on its way. I can’t make it go to a particular spot,” said Moore.
Perera, currently 27th on the Order of Merit, finished second in the Myanmar Open and remains confident of becoming the first Sri Lankan golfer to win on the Asian Tour.
“All you need is one good week to turn your life around. I try my best in every tournament and I think the win is not far away,” said the 26-year-old Perera.