While Richard T. Lee narrowly failed to make it an Asian Tour winner on the LIV Golf League at the weekend, four other Tour members recorded wins last week.

Australian Travis Smyth won the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, his compatriot Will Florimo claimed the Heritage Classic, on the same tour, China’s Jin Zihao secured the China Tour’s Hongyunlang Guangdong Open, and Jose Toledo from Guatemala was triumphant at the Hacienda Nueva Open, on his local circuit.

Asian Tour star Lee was beaten by American Bryson DeChambeau in extra-time at LIV Golf Singapore, a result that was just reward for the Canadian’s fine period of form over the past four seasons.

Similarly, Smyth being crowned the Merit champion is also recompense for regularly being in contention for over a long period.

He successfully navigated four rounds at the Heritage Classic last week to ensure he has an unassailable lead at the top of the Order of Merit with just one event remaining this week.

Will Florimo.

The 31-year-old enjoyed a phenomenal run of events to finish number one. He received an invite to play his first event of the season at last month’s Quinovic NZ PGA Championship, where he tied for fifth, played the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort, an event joint-sanctioned with the Asian Tour, where he finished fifth again, and then won the inaugural ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship at Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club. He claimed that in a six-hole playoff against Australian Jack Thompson, another Asian Tour member.

“I wasn’t planning for this,” Smyth said after learning he cannot be unseated at the top of the Merit list.

“I wasn’t playing these events to try and win the Order of Merit. It was never really in my mind. I just wanted to play well, keep my card for the following year so that I didn’t have to ask for invites if I wanted to play Aussie Open or Aussie PGA or any event, really.”

Florimo, fifth at this year’s Asian Tour Qualifying School, was successful at the Heritage event – claiming his maiden title on the Australasian circuit.

The Queenslander shot a final round three-under-par 69 to win by two at The Heritage Golf and Country Club. Florimo had come close on three previous occasions during the season in Australia, which prompted his decision to have a crack at the Asian Tour’s school.

Jin Zihao.

Said the Australian, who won despite bogeying the last two holes: “I’ve been playing very solid golf these past two years, and I knew it was going to gel one week.

“I’ve had so many close calls and it felt like a seesaw all day. I had chances to really run away with it, but I kept giving them back.”

Jin Zihao, also a graduate at this year’s Qualifying School, having secured the 32^nd card, won at what was the season opening event on the China Tour. Remarkably, it marked his ninth win in just two years on the mainland circuit.

Toledo, another qualifying school graduate but from 2024, won an event run his by his country’s national golf association.