Shiv Kapur 8th in Asian Order of Merit after TCL Classic

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 20 (UNI) Despite a poor tied 41st finishing in the TCL Classic, Shiv Kapur, placed eighth, remains the highest ranked Indian golfer in the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit.

After the event in China, Shiv has 114,117 dollars in his pocket, while Jeev Milkha Singh -- tied seventh in TCL Classic -- is placed 13th with 73,101 dollars.

Gaurav Ghei, who put up the best show among the Indians in China for a tied fifth place, is 15th in the ladder with 67,164 dollars.

Meanwhile, Australian ace Andrew Buckle has risen to the top of the Order of Merit for the first time in his career, thanks to two runner-up finishes in his last three tournaments.

The talented 23-year-old leads the table with 280,212 dollars after finishing second in the TCL Classic.

Korea's Charlie Wi, winner of the Maybank Malaysian Open last month, slipped to second place with 279,331 dollars after missing the cut last week while Thai star Thongchai Jaidee is third on 217,222.

The Asian Tour takes a three-week break before resuming with the 1.8 million dollar Volvo China Open at Beijing Honghua Golf Club from April 13-16.

UBS Order of Merit (Top 10): 1. Andrew Buckle, AUS (280,212) 2. Charlie Wi, KOR (279,331) 3. Thongchai Jaidee, THA (217,222) 4. Mardan Mamat, SIN (174,382) 5. Tadahiro Yakayama, JPN (173,460) 6. Simon Dyson, ENG (172,560) 7. Prayad Marksayeng, THA (145,512) 8. Shiv Kapur, IND (114,117) 9. Scott Strange, AUS (99,882) 10. Wang Ter-chang, TPE (99,128) UNI XC AY PM BST1511