Jakarta, April 27 - Big-hitting Scott Hend of Australia and a back-in-form Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei hope to carry their winning momentum into the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters next week.Hend and Lin recently won their third and sixth Asian Tour title respectively and are upbeat ahead of the US$750,000 showpiece, which is staged on the Asian Tour Schedule for third straight year at the magnificent Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea, Anirban Lahiri of India, Bryce Easton of South Africa, Wade Ormsby of Australia, Joonas Granberg of Finland and Thailand’s Chawalit Plaphol, who are all ranked inside the top-10 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit are also in the elite field.
The straight-hitting Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka, Scott Barr of Australia, the highly rated Kim Gi-whan of Korea and American Jonathan Moore will also be on a mission to secure their first Asian Tour win at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters.
Hend is now known as the Tour’s ‘Comeback King’ as he has won all three of his Asian Tour titles including the 2008 Indonesia President Invitational from behind. He is one of the longest hitters in the world and hopes to capitalize on his powerful drives which averages to about 316 yards.
“I never had the chance to lead from the front. I would love to lead into the last round by three and see if I can hold the guys off. But you’ll take anything you can get,” said the Australian, a former PGA Tour player.
He has enjoyed much success on the region’s premier Tour, which is celebrating its 10th season this year, and hopes more Australians will follow his success route on the Asian Tour.
“The Asian Tour has been a fantastic place for me to be in. This is the Tour in the region and in my eyes it is the only Tour in the region,” said Hend.
“It is a fantastic breeding ground of the young players and the middle aged players such as myself. Everyone wants to come out and forge a good living and play in good tournaments and try to move to the next level. This is a great place to be and a place to play on.”
Lin became the most successful Chinese Taipei player when he won his sixth Asian Tour title at the Solaire Open in the Philippines two weeks ago.
He carries a formidable determination that belies his carefree attitude and is eager to better his tied ninth result at the Indonesian Masters in 2011.
“Something which not many people know about me is that I have very strong motivation and I never give up,” smiled Lin, whose victory in the Philippines erased the heartbreak of losing his Asian Tour card last year.
Major champions Ernie Els of South Africa, Michael Campbell of New Zealand and Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland will headline the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters.
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