Singapore: Malaysia’s Iain Steel opened up doors of opportunities for himself when he claimed a dramatic win at the US$110,000 Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship on Sunday.
The 42-year-old took home a winner’s prize purse of US$20,000 which propelled him to fourth on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit with a season’s haul of US$24,217.
Steel also made big strides on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) after receiving six points for his victory at the richest event on the ADT schedule this season.
He jumped from 1567th to 741st in the world and became the third best Malaysian in the world behind Nicholas Fung (508th) and Danny Chia (607th).
Steel is delighted with the long-awaited victory which served as a timely confidence boost for his golf game.
“This win means a lot to me. It definitely boosted my confidence, a lot. It took me a while to adjust to playing on the ADT after playing on the Asian Tour earlier for six to seven years as I have to get used to new courses and people but I’m enjoying it now," said Steel.
"The ADT is a great platform for me to compete. I try to make the most out of it and I’m happy that I get opportunities to compete on the ADT,” added the Malaysian, who is one of the most experienced golfers on the Asian Tour.
Steel is also thankful for the win as he sees a glimpse of hope in qualifying for the upcoming CIMB Classic and the World Cup of Golf with an improved ranking on the OWGR.
He will have to continue his good run of form and play well in the upcoming Asian Tour and ADT events to break into the world’s top 340 in order to stand a realistic chance.
The Sabahan lost his Asian Tour card in 2011 after struggling with a back injury. He will be determined to redeem himself with a top-three finish on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season which will earn him a Tour card for 2014.
American James Bowen, who won twice on the ADT this season, currently leads the merit list with total earnings of US$30,725. Should Bowen win again, he will set a new record by becoming the player with the highest earnings compiled in a single season on the ADT.
Canadian Lindsay Renolds and Malaysian Nicholas Fung are ranked second and third respectively while England’s Grant Jackson is ranked fifth on the Order of Merit.
With slightly less than US$7,000 separating leader Bowen from Jackson and four more tournaments left to play this season, the race is still very much alive.
The top five players will resume the Merit race at the RM200,000 (approximately US$65,000) PGM Terengganu Masters which is slated to take place in Malaysia next week.