Leong tops Asian Q-School, Kulacz third

BY iseekgolf.com | Asian Tour | 2007 Asian Tour Q-School - Final Stage | Round Four | 15 Dec 2007

Malaysia’s Ben Leong retained his full playing rights on the Asian Tour for the second straight year after a closing 70 gave him an 18-under-par 270 and a three-stroke win over fellow compatriot Steven Tan at the Sabah Golf and Country Club on Saturday.

Leong, who also took top honours at the Final Stage Qualifiers in Thailand last year, marked his return to the Asian Tour when he orchestrated a blemish-free round highlighted by two birdies at his home course at the Sabah Golf and Country Club.

Australia’s Rick Kulacz fired a closing 68 to finish third on 274 while China’s Shang Lei’s 275 earned him fourth place together with full playing rights for next year.

Having only turned pro in October this year, Australia’s Kulacz’s playing career has now taken off to a flying start with a deserving performance this week.

“This is a very good result for me. I’m very happy as I came here wanting to get into the top-40 but I’ve managed to do better than that this week,” said the jubilant 21-year-old Australian, who is currently residing in Perth, Western Australia.

“I’m excited for next year as I’ve only played in four professional events so it’s going to be something new for me,” added Kulacz, who won one professional event as an amateur in the 2006 New South Wales Open.

Leong was once again in excellent form and could not have wished for a better start when he reeled in two birdies in his first four holes to set himself up for another masterful performance.

“It’s been a great week. I was steady from tee to green and my putting was really good today. I hung in there and repeated my result from last year,” said Leong.

“I hope this win here will motivate me to better my performance on the Asian Tour in 2008 and I also hope to enjoy a breakthrough win on the tour next season.”

Malaysia’s Steven Tan, who trailed Leong by two shots at the start of the final round failed to keep up the pressure on Leong for the lead when he made three costly birdies in his opening back-end to close on 71 for a 273 to finish in second place.

Tan, who shot the week’s best score of 62 in the third round, got off to a slow start with three bogeys but was eager to finish under par and rallied back with three birdies in the first four holes after the turn to earn his first ever full playing rights on the Asian Tour.

“I got off to a nervous start but bounced back well on the turn with birdies on the first, third and fourth holes. I was determined to finish under par and did just that,” said Tan who closed his round with another birdie in his final ninth hole.

Shanghai-born Shang Lei of China will soon be following the footsteps of close friend and Asia’s number one, Liang Wen-chong in playing on the Asian Tour after he blazed the course at the Sabah Golf and Country Club with seven birdies to close at 65 for a 275 finish.

“It’s great to have earned my playing rights on the Asian Tour. Liang Wen-chong is my good friend and he told me to compete outside of China for better exposure and I listened to him. It paid off and now I get to compete full time on the Asian Tour,” said Shang who turned pro in 2003.

Played over two courses at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club and the Sabah Golf and Country Club from 12-15 December, the Asian Tour Qualifying School Finals attracted over 200 players at the start of the week.

A total of 46 players have earned their full playing rights on the Asian Tour for next year.

Full Playing Rights – Australasians
Andrew Dodt
Ashley Hall
Darren Beck
Eddie Lee
Henry Epstein
Jason King
Kevin Chun
Mahal Pearce
Michael Wright
Mitchell Brown
Neven Basic
Peter Cooke
Richard Gallichan
Richard Moir
Rick Kulacz

Source – Asian Tour