By IANS
Bangkok : Chinese ace golfer Liang Wen-chong swept the major awards at the UBS gala night as he put the icing on the cake to a fantastic 2007 season.
During a week which he became the first player from China to claim the prestigious Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit crown, the 29-year-old was also voted Sunday the Players’ Player of the Year for his sterling season which included one victory and eight other top-10s.
Liang also picked up the lowest stroke average award with 70.41, pipping Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee as the most consistent player on the Asian Tour this season.
The top three awards completed a remarkable journey for the Zhongshan-based Liang, who burst onto the professional scene in 1999 before gradually completing his rise to the top of the Asian summit.
“This week puts a wonderful period to a wonderful season for me. I am honoured to become the UBS Order of Merit winner. This is one day that I will always remember,” said Liang, who replaces India’s Jeev Milkha Singh as Asia’s No.1.
Liang, whose success earned him a place in next year’s British Open, claimed a maiden triumph in the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters in March before reeling in many other top finishes to pip Chapchai Nirat of Thailand in a thrilling fight for the Merit crown. Liang ended the season with a haul of $532,590, beating his Jaidee $90,265.
Reflecting on his success, Liang thanked his home club Chungshan Hot Spring Golf Club, who put a golf club in his hand when he was 16, compatriot and mentor Zhang Lian-wei, who presented the Player of the Year award to him, and the Asian Tour.
“I have always believed that to succeed in golf, we have to be hard working and to give it 100 per cent. This has helped me a lot. The Asian Tour has helped me to grow as a player and I’m sure the Tour will continue to grow and become stronger every day,” said Liang.
Filipino veteran Frankie Minoza picked up the other main award of the night when he was voted the winner for the UBS Special Achievement Award for an outstanding season in which he won once on the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
The Rookie of the Year award went to Australian Scott Hend, who finished fourth on the UBS Order of Merit following five top-10s which included two runner-up finishes at the Pakistan Open and Volvo China Open.
Asia’s players picked Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course as the Host Venue of the Year for the second successive season. The highly touted Serapong course was revamped for the $4 million Barclays Singapore Open, Asia’s richest national Open, in November.
Chapchai earned bragging rights as the Birdie Leader for the 2007 season when he amassed a total of 306 ‘birds’, five more than compatriot Thaworn Wiratchant, while Scotsman Simon Yates won the Greens in Regulation category with a 72 per cent hit rate.
Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng, winner of the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia Sunday, was the king of putting when he topped the lowest putting average category with 1.737 putts per green in regulation.