Golfers Catlin, Murillo, Liu aim high at ADT event

John Catlin of the United States, Wolmer Murillo of Venezuela and Liu Yan-wei of China will aim to win the title and break into the top-five on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit when the inaugural Defence Raya Golf Championship starts here on Thursday.

Catlin, Murillo and Liu are ranked seventh, 11th and 17th on the Order of Merit respectively but with a total prize purse of $120,000 on offer this week, they can make a move with a solid result at the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club.

The trio are among the talented field which includes 10 ADT champions and players from 12 different nationalities in the 102-man field. It will be an important week for players fighting for an Asian Tour card as the leading five players in the final Order of Merit will be afforded with playing rights on the region's premier Tour.

The 26-year-old Catlin, who won his first ADT title last year, has enjoyed a consistent year so far, missing only one cut in 14 appearances on the ADT. He also posted two runner-up results and one tied third finish.

"My goal in the beginning of the year is to get into the top-five (on the Order of Merit) and I'm working my tail off to get it. It is coming down the wire and I'm ready to finish strong. A win here will go a long way. This has been one of the most consistent years I've had. I'm right there and I'm just waiting for that week where it all clicks again," Catlin said.

Murillo, the only Venezuelan in the field, has enjoyed some good form after being less technical in his swing. He won his first ADT title at the Combiphar Players Championship in Indonesia last month and capped two other top-10 results on the Asian Tour.

This will be a big week for Murillo who trails the fifth placed player on the Order of Merit Blake Snyder, who is not in the field this week, by slightly more than $8,000.

--IANS

ajb/vm