Harrington and Thongchai on top form heading into BMW Asian Open

World number eight Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Asian number one Thongchai Jaidee are the form players going into the US$1.5 million BMW Asian Open at Ta Shee Golf and Country Club this week.

Harrington, second in the European Tour rankings in the just-concluded season, won a healthy US$50,000 in a high-profile Skins tournament in Singapore on Sunday while Thongchai rocketed to the top of the Asian PGA rankings with a second place finish to high-flying Colin Montgomerie of Scotland in the US$1 million TCL Classic in Dongguan, China.

The BMW Asian Open, which is in its second year, will be the opening event of the 2003 European Tour season and the third last tournament on the 2002 Asian PGA-run Davidoff Tour. It is the richest event in Asia, outside of Japan.

Ireland's Harrington was second in the Skins game to South Africa's Retief Goosen, the player who pipped him for the European Tour top spot, but defeated Fijis Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia of Spain.

Harrington has had a great season including victory in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland and a starring role in the Ryder Cup for Europe. He won two matches in the win over the United States.

Thailand's Thongchai took pole position in the race to be Asia's number one for a second successive season by lifting US$111,300 for his runner up finish to Montgomerie. He has total winnings of US$183,014 and is narrowly ahead of India's Arjun Atwal, who won the Caltex Singapore Masters at the start of the year.

Thongchai took a two-stroke lead into the final round at Harbour Plaza Golf Club but could not hold off the challenge of Montgomerie who shot a closing five-under-par 67. It was his second win on the trot after he shared a title on the European Tour with Bernhard Langer of Germany a week earlier.

"It was a great experience playing with Colin (Montgomerie) and I am not too disappointed at finishing second. I am looking forward to playing the BMW Asian Open. Ta Shee is a great course and I have good memories after having finished joint second last year," said Thongchai, whose runner up finish to Jarmo Sandelin in 2002 acted a springboard to the moneylist title.

Sweden's Sandelin, who played in the Far East last season to "make some money for Christmas," is back to defend his title and is joined by Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal who finished joint second with Thongchai.

Olazabal, who went on to win the Omega Hong Kong Open the week after last year's BMW Asian Open, has just finished his second full season on the US PGA Tour, winning the Buick Invitational, securing six other top 10 finishes and missing just four cuts in 19 events.

"It's has been a very nice season," said Olazabal in a recent interview. "If you ask me if I am disappointed not to have won more, I have to say yes and no. You always want more but I have had a fair amount of success in both the United States and Europe so it has been a good year."

Scotland's Sam Torrance, triumphant as Europe's Ryder Cup captain, and match-winner Paul McGinley of Ireland are also in the elite field for the US$1.5 million BMW Asian Open.

The popular McGinley was 11th in the TCL Classic with solid rounds of 71, 69, 71 and 72. America's John Daly, of 'Grip It and Rip It' fame, thrilled the galleries at the TCL Classic with several trademark booming drives but unfortunately missed the weekend play after running up a 10 during the second round. The early exit has meant Daly arrived in Taiwan in good time in preparation for the BMW Asian Open.

The final star player attending the BMW Asian Open is Ian Woosnam tipped to be the next Ryder Cup Captain. Woosnam is a two-time Order of Merit winner and a popular player amongst Taiwan Fans.