Golf in Taiwan got a fillip last week with the announcement of more money for the Asian PGA Tour and confirmation that one of the country's best players has made the top 100 in the world rankings.
Taiwan's Lin "The Pin" Keng-chi (林根基), the inaugural Asian PGA Order of Merit winner, led the way for Asian PGA players as he made a giant stride forward in the final Official World Golf Rankings for last year.
On the back of some impressive results in Japan, Lin finished the year in 81st place in the world rankings.
The 35-year-old won two events in Japan and recorded four other top-three finishes.
It was a jump of 121 rungs for the Taiwan star over the past 12 months.
Lin will continue to play mainly in Japan this year and take part in the newly enriched Asian PGA Tour.
An extra US$1.9 million will be poured into the region's game in the first half of this year, according to Asian PGA officials.
A total of nearly US$9.7 million will be on offer for the first nine events. The Malaysian Open is worth US$1 million this year.
The season tees off with the US$2.3 million Johnnie Walker Classic at Lake Karrinyup, western Australia -- a jointly sanctioned event with the Australian and European Tours -- from Jan. 24 to 27.
Lin, who turned pro in 1989, has built a solid reputation in the Asia-Pacific area.
He was one of the first players to join the Asian Tour and triumphed three times in 1995, the Asian PGA's inaugural season, when he won the Order of Merit.
So accurate was he with his iron play that year that he was nicknamed "The Pin."
Soon after he moved to Japan to ply his trade, where he is now beginning to cash in.
Last year was his most successful year on the Japan PGA Tour, where he finished sixth on the money list.
Many Taiwan golfers play in Japan because it is the highest-earning tour in the region.
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