Jackson, currently fifth on the ADT Order of Merit with a season’s haul of US$27,180, will have to win the inaugural event staged at the Jababeka Golf and Country Club to stand a fighting chance to earn a card on the region’s premier Tour in 2014.
American James Bowen, Malaysia’s Iain Steel and Canadian Lindsay Renolds, currently second, third and fourth, will also bid to maintain their positions on the Order of Merit which will afford them playing rights on the Asian Tour next season.
With current number one Nicholas Fung of Malaysia having already earned his card through the Asian Tour Order of Merit, the next highest ranked three players on the ADT Merit list will be “promoted” onto the Asian Tour.
Jackson, who claimed his breakthrough win on the ADT in Malaysia last April, hopes to fulfill his goal of playing on the Asian Tour by putting up a good show among the talented contenders this week.
“This week is kind of crucial for me as I would need to win to possibly get into top four on the final ADT Order of Merit. Securing an Asian Tour card for 2014 means a lot to me. It’s the reason why I came to play in Asia and it’s been my only goal for the year,” said Jackson.
“It’s a shame I didn’t put myself in a better position coming to the final tournament but I guess that’s how it goes. All the guys play well to win here on the ADT. I will try my best and we will see how things go this week,” added the 32-year-old Englishman.
Meanwhile Renolds has set a high target for himself heading into the final event on the 2013 ADT season, where he hopes to close the season by finishing second on the Order of Merit and claim his first ADT victory.
“Now that Fung has already saved his Asian Tour card, I’m aiming for the second position. The only way I can make sure I maintain my position is to aim higher. My form is good lately so I’m aiming higher this time,”said the 27-year-old, who has eight top-10 finishes on the ADT in 2013.
“Last year was great despite not getting any win. Of course it would be great if I can win but I have been very pleased with how I performed this season. Hopefully I can play well this week to keep my Asian Tour card for 2014,” added the Phuket-based Renolds.
Local talent Rory Hie hopes to prove his worth again as he challenges for home glory.
“I had a tough experience at the Asian Tour’s Indonesian Open a couple of weeks ago. I was playing well at the start but got impatient in the last round. I learnt my lesson from that experience. I feel like my game is in good form so I am looking forward to play well this week,” said Hie, the highest ranked golfer in Indonesia.
The winner of the Linc Group Jakarta Invitational will take home a prize purse of US$10,500 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking points. The top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.
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