Chon Buri: David Lipsky was crowned the 2014 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion on Sunday despite a plucky showing by closest rival Anirban Lahiri at the Thailand Golf Championship.
The Korean-American was forced into an anxious clubhouse wait after a ponderous three-over final-round 75 left him tied 38th for the tournament, with Lahiri still playing for a top spot in the US$1 million event.
The talented Indian needed a top-four placing in Thailand to take the Order of Merit race to this week's Dubai Open, but fell agonisingly short, tying for sixth with a one-over 73.
It gave the 26-year-old Lipsky an unassailable $713,901 purse for the year with Lahiri currently sitting in second on $602,833, followed by Thailand's Prom Meesawat with $527,921.
"This win means a lot to me and I'm feeling a lot of pride," he said.
"This is something which I aspired to do... now I know that if I play well, I can compete against the best.
"It has been an up and down year for me and this week is a perfect example. I thought I was playing well but ended up in 38th place.
"Overall the year has been good and reflecting back on it, I couldn't have been more proud of what I've accomplished," said Lipsky, who played 13 tournaments on the tour this year.
After congratulating his rival, Lahiri vowed to come back stronger in a bid to claim his title.
"I'll be back and winning the Order of Merit is definitely one of those things I want to do in my career," he said.
"Lipsky and I both fought and battled it out really hard."
Meanwhile, David Howell of England will be relishing the opportunity to challenge for a 'home win' when he competes in the inaugural Dubai Open at The Els Club Dubai this week.
The Dubai resident will join the strong line-up at the $500,000 Asian Tour event with the aim to recreate the magic of his victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic back in 1999.
"It has been a long time since I won in Dubai but memories of that win are still fresh," said the affable Englishman, who beat compatriot Lee Westwood by four shots for his win in Dubai.
"The win was special because it was my first victory on the European Tour. It is something I still cherish today."
Since that victory, Howell has clocked over 500 appearances on the European Tour and taken his tally of professional wins to five, which includes winning the inaugural HSBC Champions in 2006 where he battled head-to-head with former world No.1 Tiger Woods.
Howell, who was ranked inside top-10 on the world ranking that same year, was sidelined shortly by a string of injuries which hampered his career.