Lam clinches season-ending Volvo Masters
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2008 Volvo Masters of Asia | Round Four | 21 Dec 2008
31-year-old Singaporean Lam Chih Bing continued his hot run of form in recent weeks when he added a final round of 67 at the Thai Country Club in Bangkok to win the Volvo Masters by two shots over Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat.
For Lam it was his first official win on the Asian Tour but there have been many good finishes including a runner up at his last start at the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open and when 6th at the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters.
Lam played collegiate golf in the United States before turning professional in 1999 and has played mainly the Asian Tour since although this year is the first occasion he has been able to earn full status. He recently led in the early stages of the Singapore Open before a final round 79 saw him finish 18th. That performance was however enough to secure his full playing rights for 2009 and he has been on a roll since.
Lam finished the season in 16th position on the 2008 Asian Tour order Of Merit with US$294,000, a significant improvement on his previous best of US$35,000 in 2007.
Nirat, one of five joint overnight was brilliant over the closing stages with a final nine holes of 31 to recover from a slow start to the day and finish with 69. It was good enough for him to close in outright second position this week and in 13th position on the 2008 money list.
Terry Pilkadaris finished his season well with a final round of 66 to finish in outright third while David Gleeson and Andrew Dodt continued good recent form with a share of 4th.
Amongst the next best of the Australasians, Adam Blyth was 6th, Mitchell Brown 8th, Marcus Both 12th and New Zealander Mark Brown 14th.
Mark Brown finished the 2008 season as the third ranked player in the Asian Tour Order of Merit to go with his victory in the race for Australasian Tour honours last week in Sydney. Brown will play much of his golf on the European Tour in 2009 and can be expected to improve significantly. He has played only average golf since his win at the Sails Open and Johnnie Walker Classic earlier this season but there has been much to absorb for the New Zealander in just his second year back after several years away from tournament golf.
Chinese Taipei based Queenslander, David Gleeson, finished in 5th position on the Money List after a magnificent form turnaround in the last few weeks. Scott Strange was 8th, Kane Webber 15th, Adam Blyth 17th and Scott Hend 20th amongst the next best of the Australasians on the 2008 Order of Merit.
The first stroke-play event of the 2009 Asian Tour season will be the Asian Tour International in Thailand from Feb 5th – 8th.
