Americans take Asian route to success
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Jonathan Moore and Berry Henson may not be household names yet in the United States but they are hoping to live up their dream through the Asian Tour and the Asian Development Tour.
The duo is amongst those who have left their comfort zone and ventured to the Far East in search of success and so far, the long-extended flying hours and the accumulation of air miles have reaped its rewards.
Moore, who represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup and was the 2006 NCAA champion, claimed victory on the Asian Development Tour earlier this month, which is the equivalent to the Nationwide Tour in the US or the European Challenge Tour.
He also has playing rights on the main circuit, the Asian Tour, after finishing inside the top-40 at Qualifying School and after five months of his rookie year, he believes he is doing the right thing to further his career.
"I think it's a great world tour. For me, it feels like a step up to what I was doing which was to chase some Monday qualifying and the mini tours (in the U.S.). You're playing in tournaments with Lee Westwood and Thongchai Jaidee (as he did in the Indonesian Masters last month) and it's the right direction.
"It encourages me to want to come out here to play," said Moore, who was victorious in the PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic in Malaysia.
He also cited the Asian Tour's co-sanction programme with the European Tour as an added attraction for aspiring golfers like himself. With six of the current top-10 players in the world being Europeans, co-sanctioned events such as the Maybank Malaysian Open in April offered greater World Ranking points than PGA Tour events.
"You look at tournaments in Malaysia … they had stronger world ranking points than the PGA Tour that week. Obviously, there are good things and I think you can progress as a player.
"Hopefully if you play well, you can play in some great tournaments. Each week is a good event. It's well run and you're playing against great players. I certainly think it can help you become a better professional golfer. You're in a different country, different environment, and it helps in becoming a better golfer."
Countryman Henson has already earned the nickname "Back-to-Back Berry" after he won the Clearwater Masters title on the Asian Development Tour and ICTSI Philippine Open on the Asian Tour in as many starts.
The opportunity to compete and win on the ADT served as a huge shot in the arm for the 31-year-old American, who went on to triumph in Manila.
"This is a great confidence booster," said Henson, who subsequently won in the Philippines to earn full playing rights on the Asian Tour until the end of 2013.
