January 21: Thai stalwart Thongchai Jaidee kept his Masters Tournament bid alive after claiming a second successive top-10 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Sunday.
The three-time Order of Merit winner was in contention to win the event but slipped back with a final round one-over-par 73 to finish six shots from the champion Jamie Donaldson of Wales at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Thongchai, who improved his world ranking of 63rd to 56th in the latest rankings released today, needs to break into the top-50 by April 1 to secure a spot in the first Major tournament of the season.
South African Jbe Kruger shared ninth place with Thongchai following a 70 for a 280 total while S.S.P. Chowrasia of India and Andrew Dodt of Australia were a further shot back in tied 17th.

Kuala Lumpur, January 21: Gaganjeet Bhullar of India believes a sharpened short game will lead him to more glory as he aims to better last season’s successful campaign when the new 2013 Asian Tour season begins next month.
The talented Indian enjoyed one of his best years in 2012, winning twice at the Yeangder Tournament Players’ Championship in Chinese Taipei and the Venetian Macau Open. He also capped his season with six other top-10s across the region to finish a career high fifth on the Order of Merit with US$451,245 in earnings.
“It was a great season. I had a couple of top-10s, top-fives and two victories. There’re still a lot to learn but I have a lot of positives from last season,” said Bhullar.
“I’ve been trying to stay patient for a long time and I think I handled it well. Patience and a good short game will definitely help me over the years. I would love to practice day-in and day-out on my short game and bring it up to a higher level,” added the 24-year-old.
Bhullar, who is amongst a new generation of stars to emerge from India, showed he could hold his ground against the elites of the game when he posted a top-10 outing at the CIMB Classic sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA Tour. However, it was still his wire-to-wire triumph at the Venetian Macau Open which stood out the most for him.
“The victory at the Venetian Macau Open was the highlight of the season. Every victory is special but the win in Macau was very special because I won it wire-to-wire. I’ve done that a couple of times in India but to do it on the international level proves that you are a frontrunner,” he said.
Despite enjoying a stellar season, Bhullar, who is the ambassador for Hero, the title sponsor of the Indian Open, lamented the missed opportunity of contending in his national Open which was held for the first time at the Karnataka Golf Association course in Bengaluru last year.
“If I could re-hit one shot, it will probably be at the Hero Indian Open on Sunday. I played really bad on number 16 where I made a double bogey. I wish I could hit that tee shot on the fairway and maybe get a birdie and finish higher up on the leaderboard.
“There were a couple of low points (in 2012) but from my point of view, I usually look at things in a positive way and keep moving forward,” said Bhullar.
The Zaykabar Myanmar Open presented by Alpine will be the first tournament on the Asian Tour from February 21-24.
Ends.
About the Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts), Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner) and Srixon (Official Ball). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

January 20: Thongchai Jaidee fought his way into contention with a third round six-under-par 66 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Saturday.
The Thai legend made a huge move up the leaderboard with his effort which included a pair of birdies on the last two holes for a nine-under-par 207 total at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Thongchai, a three-time Order of Merit winner, trails third round leader Justin Rose of England by three shots.
Currently, ranked 63rd on the Official World Golf Rankings, he needs a good result this week to try and break into the top-50 by the end of March to qualify for the Masters Tournament in April, which is the year’s first Major.
Andrew Dodt of Australia, who has won once on the Asian Tour, was a further two shots back while Jbe Kruger of South Africa shot a 69 for tied 11th place.

January 19: Thongchai Jaidee and Liang Wen-chong safely made the halfway cut at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship but trails halfway leader Justin Rose by five shots on Friday.
The Asian Tour stars stand on one-under-par 141 following the second round where Thongchai, a three-time Order of Merit winner, carded a 71 while Liang, China’s only Asian Tour Merit champion, shot a 72 for tied 15th place.
South Africa’s Jbe Kruger, who finished third on the Order of Merit last season, carded a 69 for tied 15th place as well while Prom Meesawat, who earned his European Tour card last season through his affiliate membership, bounced back from his opening 76 to shoot a 69 and made the cut.
Thongchai is in fine form following a third place finish in South Africa last week, which pushed him up to 63rd on the Official World Golf Ranking. He is hoping to break into the top-50 by the end of March to qualify for the Masters Tournament in April, which is the year’s first Major.
Last week, 2012 Asian Tour number one Thaworn Wiratchant was invited by the Masters committee to play in the tournament.

January 14: Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee launched his 2013 campaign in a strong fashion with a third place finish at the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa on Sunday.
The three-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion shot rounds of 65, 68, 73 and 68 to finish two shots behind winner Louis Oosthuizen at the Durban Country Club. Thongchai earned
€131,300 for his fine effort in what was his first ever visit to South Africa.
The good result should see Thongchai improve on his current 80th position on the Official World Golf Ranking as he is hoping to break into the top-50 by the end of March to earn an invitation to the Masters Tournament.
Last week, countryman and current Asian Tour number one Thaworn Wiratchant was invited by Augusta National to play in the year’s first Major in April.
Indian star Jeev Milkha Singh finished tied 16th with rounds of 69, 70, 72 and 69 while South Africa’s Jbe Kruger, who finished third on the Order of Merit last season, settled for a share of 32nd place.

January 12: Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee stayed in the title hunt at the Volvo Golf Champions tournament by shooting a four-under-par 68 in the second round to trail leader Louis Oosthuizen by one at the halfway stage on Friday.
Thongchai, a three-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, led overnight with a 65 and added a solid card at the Durban Golf Club, shooting an eagle, three birdies and one bogey.
Oosthuizen charged to the top of the leaderboard with a superb 64.
Thongchai said: “I hit a lot of greens today, just a couple of holes missed the putts. In two days I’ve really enjoyed my golf here and look forward to the next two rounds.”
A win in South Africa would give him a good shot of qualifying for the Masters Tournament in April, following news that countryman Thaworn Wiratchant received a special invitation from Augusta National on Friday to compete in the year’s opening Major.
Thongchai is currently 79th in the world and a win on Sunday could potentially move him into the top-50 which is required for players to qualify for the Masters.
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, meanwhile, carded a 70 to move to tied fourth place, seven shots back of the leader while Jbe Kruger of South Africa was down the leaderboard in the 32-man field with his two-day total of 148.

Hua Hin, Thailand, January 8: The Asian Tour Qualifying School, which has attracted an all-time high of 761 entries from aspiring professionals from across the globe, will commence with the First Stage Section A on Wednesday.
The First Stage Section A will be held at the Imperial Lakeview Golf Club, Royal Thai Army Sports Centre and Banyan Golf Club where Tour hopefuls from over 30 countries will vie for their playing rights for the 2013 Asian Tour season.
Due to the record number of entries which surpassed last year’s total of 580 players, the First Stage Section B will be played the following week at the Imperial Lakeview and Springfield Royal Country Club to accommodate the additional players.
A total of 605 players will tee up for the First Stage Section A and Section B. After four rounds, the top 15% players from each venue will qualify for the all-important Final Stage from January 23 to 26.
Notable names in Stage One include the highly rated Rashid Khan of India, Won Joon Lee of Australia, former European Tour player Pelle Edberg of Sweden and 2000 Malaysian Open champion Yeh Wei-tze of Chinese Taipei.
156 players are already exempted into the all-important Final Stage at the Imperial Lakeview and Springfield Royal where the top-40 finishers and ties will earn their Tour cards for 2013.
Over the years, the Asian Tour Qualifying School has been the springboard to success for many of the region’s recognisable names.
Thai hero Thongchai Jaidee, who came through the 1999 Qualifying School, and 2010 Order of Merit champion Noh Seung-yul of Korea, who graduated in 2008, are amongst those who have qualified through the Qualifying School and enjoyed success on the Asian Tour.
Other graduates who have become Tour champions include Korea’s Charlie Wi, India’s Shiv Kapur and Arjun Atwal, Japan’s Tetsuji Hiratsuka and Masanori Kobayashi, Australian Scott Hend as well as Berry Henson and David Lipsky of the United States.
A one-time PGA Tour winner and graduate of the Asian Tour, Korean-American Kevin Na believes that players who eventually earn their cards on the Asian Tour will benefit immensely from the playing opportunities on the Tour.
“Keep playing well here. If you keep playing well and win, it will open up a lot of doors for you. The Asian Tour is a great place and a great Tour to develop your game,” said Na, who enjoyed his career breakthrough in Malaysia in 2002.
The Qualifying School is the only pathway to compete on the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour, which will be afforded with Official World Golf Ranking status from this year onwards.
Qualifying School players who do not finish in the top-40 at the Final Stage for their Asian Tour cards will receive playing privileges on the Asian Development Tour.
Last year, a total of 27 events were sanctioned by the Asian Tour while the Asian Development Tour held 13 tournaments on its schedule.
Ends.
About the Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia.  This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Srixon (Official Ball), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts) and Rolex (Official Timekeeper). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.