Rizman focused on Johor Open, avoiding q-school

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JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia -- Malaysia's Airil Rizman is determined for a strong finish that will also help secure his Asian Tour card for next season at this week's Iskandar Johor Open starting on Thursday.

Airil will join inaugural winner Artemio Murakami of the Philippines, who is also aiming to keep his Tour card with a good result at the $1 million Asian Tour full field event held at the Royal Johor Country Club.

Since winning the 2007 Pakistan Open, Airil has hit a few road bumps that have left him in 101st position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit with earnings of $18,214 so far this season.

The 31-year-old will need to make a surge into the top 65 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit to safely keep his Tour card for next season.

"The next three events should determine if I can keep my card. There are three big events coming up including this week, so I have to give it my all," said Airil.

Airil is slowly showing signs of a welcome return to form, making five cuts in his last seven events, but he knows that he needs to shift into top gear to avoid playing in the Asian Tour Qualifying School in Thailand next year.

"I am happy with the rate I am going, but I would need to put up a better performance.

I know I can shoot good scores, but it just wasn't happening. I have a good feeling that the good rounds are coming," said Airil.

"It is nice playing at home as you don't have to travel far, but I really hope that I can play good and keep my card," he added.

Murakami, who is Fillipino of Japanese heritage, has been struggling with a cold putter this season, but he will be inspired to emulate his victory two years ago.

"It is nice to return to where you first won as I have a lot of fond memories here. I am hitting quite good, but I have been struggling with my putting the entire year, so the key is to improve on my putting and give myself a chance," said Murakami, who is currently in 72nd position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Murakami, whose best finish this season was a tie for fifth place at the Indonesia President Invitational, will be banking on his course knowledge to put him in contention for his second win on the Asian Tour this week.

"I feel that this course is one of the toughest on the Asian Tour because the greens are quite grainy, and most of us have a hard time on the greens, but I like this course a lot, and it is like my home course so I am confident," said Murakami.

Meanwhile, Australia's Gavin Flint is riding a rich vein of form with two top-10s in his last two events.

The Australian, who tied for eighth at the lucrative Hero Honda Indian Open, is currently 42nd on the Order of Merit with $75,775 and will be hoping to better last year's tie for 19th.

"I worked a lot on my mental game the past couple of months, and it is starting to pay off. I know the course pretty well, and it is the same grass that I play on in Singapore, so it sets up pretty well for me," said Flint, who is still searching for his maiden win on the Asian Tour.

The Iskandar Johor Open, celebrating its third edition and offering a record prize fund this year, is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Johor Golf Association and Malaysian Golf Association.

The main sponsor of the Iskandar Johor Open is the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA). It is also supported by platinum sponsor -- UEM Land Berhad, the master developer of Nusajaya, which is a key driver of Iskandar Malaysia. Other co-sponsors include Iskandar Waterfront Development and UM Land. Official partners are TaylorMade Adidas Golf, 100 Plus, Srixon, Winston Wine, Dewars, Ricoh and the Puteri Pacific Hotel.

News and updates on the tournament will be available on the official IJO Web site www.iskandarjohoropen.com.