Scott Hend’s 10th Asian Tour victory at the Maybank Championship yesterday has taken the Australian past the US$5 million mark in career earnings.
The winner’s purse of US$500,000 took his total earnings to US$5.04 million since making his debut in 2007. The 45-year-old is now second on the Asian Tour’s Career Money List behind Thai star Thongchai Jaidee, a record three-time Order of Merit champion.
Thai legend Thaworn Wiratchant, who holds an unprecedented 18 wins on tour, sits in third place with US$4.57 million in earnings while India’s Anirban Lahiri and Prayad Marksaeng, also of Thailand, are fourth and fifth with US$3.90 million and US$3.86 million respectively.
Hend also took over the driver’s seat on the Asian Tour’s money list, known as the Habitat for Humanity Standings, with earnings of US$507,792. Previous leader Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, who enjoyed a third-place finish in Malaysia, slipped to second with a current haul of US$427,600. American Johannes Veerman, who took home his career’s biggest prize purse of a U$150,000 thanks to his fourth-place finish, climbed up to fourth place on the money list.
Hend’s achievements over the past decade have been impressive, especially in Asia where he had claimed all his 10 victories – including three at events co-sanctioned with the European Tour. He became the first Australian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2016, thanks to two victories and three top-10s.
“I’m leading the Asian Tour Order of Merit at the moment and it gives me a good chance to win it again. It’ll be another fantastic achievement and I would like to do it again,” said Hend, who also became the fourth player to surpass US$1 million in earnings in a single season in 2016.
Hend’s playoff victory over Spain’s Nacho Elvira ended a close to three-year title drought and was made made even more special with his good friend and long-time caddie Tony Carolan by his side. “I’m a grinder and a fighter. So is my caddy Tony. We both have the same mental attitude.”
“It doesn’t matter how old we are, we work hard at what we do. Just takes a bit of luck to win. Obviously, I had a bit of luck on the play-off hole. If you don’t have any luck you won’t win,” Hend noted.
The big-hitting Hend is now the fourth player after Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant (18), Thongchai Jaidee (13) and Prayad Marksaeng (10) to obtain 10 wins or more on the Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour heads to India this week for the US$1.75 million Hero Indian Open, also co-sanctioned with the European Tour.
Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings (Top 20 following the Maybank Championship)”
- Scott HEND (AUS) – $507,792.25
- Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) – $427,600.44
- Zach MURRAY (AUS) – $189,140.71
- Johannes VEERMAN (USA) – $158,720.00
- Scott VINCENT (ZWE) – $71,245.03
- Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) – $54,826.67
- Prom MEESAWAT (THA) – $53,518.10
- Nicholas FUNG (MAS) – $51,160.16
- Chikkarangappa S. (IND) – $48,843.74
- David LIPSKY (USA) – $47,100.00
- Paul PETERSON (USA) – $45,039.20
- Ben CAMPBELL (NZL) – $41,648.48
- Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) – $40,560.00
- Angelo QUE (PHI) – $38,120.00
- Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) – $37,869.98
- Doyeob MUN (KOR) – $37,150.00
- Gareth PADDISON (NZL) – $36,327.27
- Terry PILKADARIS (AUS) – $35,765.50
- Shaun NORRIS (RSA) – $33,220.00
- Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) – $29,400.00
