Kuala Lumpur: Thai talent Pavit Tangkamolprasert was officially crowned the 2014 Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit champion when the curtain came down on a record-breaking season yesterday.
Pavit Tangkamolpraser.
The 25-year-old Thai, who claimed his breakthrough ADT victory at the 2013 season-ending tournament in Jakarta in January, enjoyed a brilliant 2014 campaign where he won three times and registered five other top-five finishes.
Pavit edged out another promising young star, Chan Shih-chang of Taiwan, who also recorded three victories, by a mere US$252 on the rankings following a season which included an unprecedented 21 tournaments and an all-time high $1.6 million in total prize money.
Two of the young Thai’s victories came at the PGM Terengganu Championship and PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship in Malaysia before he went on to claim his fourth ADT career title at the Chang Hwa Open in Taiwan.
His exploits on the ADT, which is the gateway to the Asian Tour, earned him a season’s record haul of $68,975, the highest in a season won by a player.
By finishing in the top-five of the Order of Merit, Pavit, Chan, Niall Turner of Ireland, Thailand’s Sattaya Supupramai and American Brett Munson all earned Asian Tour cards for 2015.
Pavit, who skipped this week’s season-ender in the PGM MIDF KLGCC Championship in Malaysia to compete on the Asian Tour’s Indonesia Open, said he exceeded his own expectations on the ADT and vowed to push for glory on the Asian Tour in 2015.
He also hopes to emulate the success of mentor and good friend, Prom Meesawat, by winning on the region’s premier tour.
“My aim at the start of the season was to finish top-five and get my Asian Tour card for 2015. But to win the Order of Merit is just fantastic. Prom has been a great friend and mentor to me. It would be great if I can follow in his footsteps when I play on the Asian Tour next year,” said Pavit.