Gavin Green made history by becoming the first Malaysian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit after an intense 12-month battle with several of the regions best golfers.
Green's accomplishment is a watershed moment in Malaysia's golfing history as no player from the country has ever come close to laying claim to being Asia's top golfer.
With his latest win, the 23-year-old is now the second youngest golfer to win the accolade since 2004, when the Asian Tour was established. South Korea's Seungyul Noh won the title in 2010 at the age of 19.
The big-hitting Malaysian opened up an unassailable lead on the merit list following his tied-19th finish at the Joburg Open earning $13,277.40, which gave him a total of $585,813.46 this season.
"After 12 months, here we are, on top. It is an amazing feeling. There were so many good guys who had a chance to win it. Thankfully, this week came around well. I'm going to enjoy it," Green said on Monday.
By finishing at the top of the Order of Merit, Green has earned a five-year exemption on the Asian Tour and spots at next year's The Open as well as the WGC-Mexico Championship.
He will also get to represent Team Asia at the upcoming EurAsia Cup.
Green's 2017 season started on the back of a promising 2016 when he won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) before finishing second on the ADT Order of Merit to secure his Asian Tour card for 2017.
After finishing tied 59th, 68th and 47th at the SMBC Singapore Open, Leopalace21 Myanmar Open and Maybank Championship respectively early in the year, Green's season came alive with a second-placed finish at the Hero Indian Open.
"I started off okay in the season. Then the Hero Indian Open came along and I finished second. I stayed in it there, remained patient, and then the win came along," Green said.
That performance in India sparked a brilliant run of form where he would go on to secure a tied-second finish at the Yeangder Heritage and tied-10th result at the Thailand Open.
He was on the verge of his breakthrough at the Shinhan Donghae Open but several costly missed putts on the final day saw him finishing second again.
The Malaysian's maiden Asian Tour win finally came at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters a fortnight later in Chinese Taipei.
After his win in Chinese Taipei, Green took over the lead on the Order of Merit, a position he has never relinquished since.
Green will have the opportunity to finish the year on an even higher note as he will be competing at the Asian Tour season-ending Indonesian Masters later this week.
The winner of the Indonesian Masters will receive a prize purse of $135,000 as well as a minimum of 20 Official Golf World Ranking points and an invitation to the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2018.
--IANS
ajb/bg
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