Thaworn eyes Merit advantage at Hong Kong Golf Open

Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant will head to the UBS Hong Kong Golf Open next week knowing the huge significance the event will have on his Asian Tour career. The 54th edition of Hong Kong's longest-running sporting event will be staged at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling from November 15-18, 2012. And as the 2012 Asian Tour season heads towards an exciting climax, the Hong Kong Open, which is the fourth last event on the Tour Schedule, will see an intriguing battle between the region's best golfers seeking to win the prestigious Order of Merit crown. Thaworn, who leads the Order of Merit, aims to become the oldest champion of the Asian Tour's Order of Merit after he notched three wins in Thailand, Malaysia and India this season, bringing his total haul of victories to 15 on the region's elite circuit. The 45-year-old veteran has also inked his place in the record books as the player with the most number of victories on the Asian Tour. Thaworn will have to upstage a star-studded field that includes the likes of world's No.1 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Major champions Yang Yong-Eun of South Korea as well as American John Daly, who is known as one of golf's most colorful personalities. "No problem playing against them. I only need to focus on my own game and the rest will take care by itself," said Thaworn. "Winning the Hong Kong Open is important as it'll give me an advantage on the rankings. Let's see how it goes next week."