Scott Hend aims to seal maiden Asian Tour order of merit crown at Hong Kong Open
Australian has already won twice in 2016 to lead the money list and will head to Fanling next month out to add to his 2014 success
Australian Scott Hend is out to seal a maiden Asian Tour order of merit crown at next month’s UBS Hong Kong Open as the former champion returns to Fanling seeking to end a standout 2016 on a high.
Hend, who claimed the title at Hong Kong Golf Club in 2014, is leading the money list by over US$300,000 from compatriot Marcus Fraser with just five counting events remaining, including this week’s stop in the Philippines.
But Hend will arrive at Fanling still in pole position as both he and Fraser are pursuing their options on the European Tour and will also miss the World Cup event as Adam Scott and Marc Leishman are representing Australia.
And with the Panasonic Open India the week before Hong Kong offering only a total prize pool of US$400,000 compared to the US$2 million which will be up for grabs at Fanling, Hend is ideally placed to become the first Australian to win the Asian Tour’s order of merit.
“As the UBS Hong Kong Open is the final event on the Asian Tour, it would be fantastic to produce my best stuff there and seal the order of merit title for the first time in my career. It would really cap a great year for me,” said Hend, who has claimed US$996,592 from 10 events in 2016, having won twice this year.