The OneAsia Order of Merit will be decided this weekend with three players still in with a chance of overhauling Korean Kim Bi-o — but they will have to win the Australian PGA Championship, presented by Coca-Cola, to succeed. 22-year-old Bi-o has made U.S.$380,745.98 in 2012, but with a winners cheque worth around U.S. $235,000 on offer at the Palmer Coolum Resort this week, Korean Park Sang-hyun and Australians Nick Cullen and Matthew Griffin could overhaul him if they are crowned champion on Sunday. The A$1.25 million tournament is also the final event on the co-sanctioning PGA Tour of Australasia. “That would be pretty nice I&aposd be pretty happy with that,” said Cullen, who is currently in third place on $208,638.62. Cullen got his year off to a flying start by winning the season-opening Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open — his first significant professional title — to go along with a spot in the 2012 Open Championship that he had earlier earned at International Final Qualifying in Australia. The left-hander admits, however, that he lost his way a bit in the middle of the year — although he feels he is getting back into form. “It&aposs hard to back up after a start like that,” he said. “Winning early in the year, I guess, sort of raises your expectations to maybe do it again and keep it going. But the last six to eight weeks have been good. I&aposve had four or five top tens in Australia, but a good finish here would be great.” Asked to define exactly what went well for him in Jakarta in March, Cullen credits a hot three wood. “In one of the rounds I hit 14 fairways,” he said, adding he missed only five all week. “Around that course it was really important — as it is this week. So if I can just get my three wood working like it was then, who knows.” Griffin (left) who was having an “average” year by his definition until winning the Charity High1 Resort Open, is currently fourth on the Order of Merit with $203,318.78 and itching to do well this week on a track he likes. “It&aposs exciting. I have a good chance to win a major tour&aposs Order of Merit,” he said. “I&aposve played well on this course in the past, so I think I&aposve got a good chance.”
Author: Golf Australia