October 7, 2013: Treacherous conditions failed to deter Australia’s Scott Hend to capture US$600,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters with a score of two-over-par 74 at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club on Sunday.
Hend relied on his experience of playing in Scotland’s weather last week to lift his fourth Asian Tour title with a winning total of three-under-285.
Sam Cyr of the United States could not regain his second day lead status but was satisfied for his best result on the Asian Tour this season. He finished second after battling to a 77 while Bangladesh’s Siddikur and Thailand’s Arnond Vongvanij , who shared third place on matching 291 at the richest Asian Tour event to be staged in Chinese Taipei this season.
[highlight] It’s nice to win from the front instead of always coming from behind. To be able to win this tournament was always a tough mental challenge especially under those conditions we had this week [/highlight]
Rahil Gangjee was best placed Indian in the tournament, tied 27th with twelve-over 300. While, Shiv Kapur ended up 49th, with a total score of 307.
Unlike his previous victories, which were all from come-behinds, there was no need for Hend to surmount a late challenge this week.
Instead, it was Hend’s mental strength and Scottish experience that saw him preserving his lead and clinch a decisive four-shot victory from the front for the first time on the Asian Tour.
“It’s nice to win from the front instead of always coming from behind. To be able to win this tournament was always a tough mental challenge especially under those conditions we had this week,” said Hend, who took home the winner’s prize cheque of US$120,000.
His lessons from Scottish challenge gave him an edge over others. The 40-year-old was confident of his upper hand when he arrived in Chinese Taipei.
“I got my wish when I saw how windy it was out here. It worked to my favour as I played in Scotland last week and I was mentally prepared,” said Hend.
Cyr was left to wait longer for his career breakthrough on the region’s premier Tour, but gave a timely reminder of his precocious talent with his best finish on the Tour so far.
It was also the penultimate event for leading players on the merit list vying for a place in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China.
