A scribbled note-to-self on his yardage book worked wonders as Wade Ormsby extended a winning run by Australian players on the Asian Tour with a one-shot triumph at the Panasonic Open India over the weekend. Ormsby, playing in his second season on the region s premier Tour, credited countryman Scott Hend, winner of the previous week s Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT, for giving him sound advice on the art of winning. The 33-year-old Ormsby said Hend simply told him to stay patient following several disappointing results over the past month and he took the advice to heart by picking up a first Asian Tour title. “I spoke to Scott on Sunday night last week. I said Mate, I m so disappointed with the way I finished in Chiangmai and he just said to stay patient and to keep doing what I ve been doing. I wrote that down in my yardage book today and I m happy that got me over the line,” said a delighted Ormsby. “I ve played in over 200 tournaments worldwide and to get my first win here takes the monkey off my back. I really wanted to win and I m glad I did that. He needed to overcome a triple bogey early in the final round before streaking past Thai veteran star Boonchu Ruangkit, who was bidding to become the oldest winner on the Asian Tour at the age of 56 years old. Such was his hurry to wrap up his maiden title that Ormsby tapped in for victory after lagging his first putt on the 18th green. It is often customary for the champion to have the last putt of the tournament as his playing partner Lam Chih Bing of Singapore still had a four-foot putt for par. Ormsby pocketed US$54,000 for his wire-to-wire success at the challenging Delhi Golf Club and moved up to the eighth place on the latest Asian Tour Order of Merit. Since earning his Tour card at Qualifying School in 2012, the Aussie has enjoyed playing on the Asian Tour. I love playing in Asia. I m 33-years-old and I see myself playing more on the Asian Tour. It’s a big Tour with lots of opportunities for players like us, said Ormsby. Singaporean Lam Chih Bing s third-placed finish in New Delhi has boosted his confidence for the remainder of the 2012 season, which is the Asian Tour s milestone 10th season. Just being back in contention means a lot and more than anything else, I ve learnt to believe in myself again. Losing my card last year was a big wake-up call and hopefully it s a blessing in disguise, said Lam, who moved up to 34th place on the Order of Merit. The evergreen Boonchu continued to show he could still compete at a high level with his runner-up finish which pushed him up to 15th place on the Order of Merit. Thailand s Kiradech Aphibarnrath, winner of the Maybank Malaysian Open, heads the Order of Merit with US$616,535. The Asian Tour will travel to Philippines for the inaugural Solaire Open which will be held at the Wack Wack Golf & Country Club this week. Former Asian Tour number one Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines will lead the home challenge.
Author: Asian Tour