New Zealand professional Mark Brown has claimed the 2008 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit following an outstanding year for the 33 year old from Lower Hutt.
 
Winner of the prestigious 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic, Brown topped the Australasian Tour Order of Merit with winnings of $AUD440,000 ahead of Queenslander and Australian Sportsbet Masters winner Rod Pampling with $AUD368,000, with Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Champion Geoff Ogilvy in third place with $AUD316,000.
 
Brown has been a revelation in 2008. He turned professional in 1996 and spent six years playing on the Asian, Canadian and Australasian Tours with reasonable but not world shattering success. After personal circumstances led him to take a break from 2003 through to 2005, he refueled his fire for golf, with spectacular results in 2008.
 
The down to earth champion secured the tri sanctioned USD$2,500,000 Johnnie Walker Classic title amongst a world class field in Delhi in March by a comfortable three shots, just one week after he emerged as the four shot winner at the 2008 SAIL Open on the Asian Tour. He was also named the European Tour Golfer of the Month for February and also won shot of the month for his outstanding approach to the 15th green at the JWC.
 
Brown was then eligible as the highest ranked New Zealander on the Official World Golf Ranking to represent New Zealand for the first time at the Omega World Cup at Mission Hills.
 
Brown’s win at the Johnnie Walker Championship and solid results at the Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open earned saw him top the Order of Merit and earn a five year exemption on the Australasian Tour. He has also secured a place at the 2009 Open at Turnberry after the disappointment of his non-start this year. Currently ranked world no 107 he also gains a chance to play the US Open along with Pampling (world no 55), provided they are within the top 75 point leaders of the World Ranking at that time.
 
Ogilvy with a year end top-50 world ranking at number 11 has already qualified for all the majors and WGC events.

Below is a table with the final Order of Merit Results for season 2008.

Pos. Name Represents AU$ Plyd
1 Mark Brown (NZL) NZL 440,027.48 4
2 Rod Pampling (AUS) Qld 368,300.00 3
3 Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) Vic 316,500.00 3
4 Scott Strange (AUS) WA 268,644.27 5
5 Greg Chalmers (AUS) WA 204,039.27 6
6 Robert Allenby (AUS) Vic 194,300.00 3
7 Marcus Fraser (AUS) Vic 190,196.35 4
8 Ewan Porter (AUS) NSW 185,823.14 7
9 David Smail (NZL) NZL 150,741.20 4
10 Darron Stiles (USA) USA 145,157.28 4#
11 Peter Senior (AUS) Qld 107,896.55 10
12 Chris Gaunt (AUS) Vic 91,200.00 4
13 Shiv Kapur (IND) IND 90,587.04 3
14 Stephen Dartnall (AUS) WA 80,795.00 4
15 Wade Ormsby (AUS) SA 80,045.52 6
16 Nathan Green (AUS) NSW 79,025.00 3
17 D.J. Brigman (USA) USA 72,037.50 2#
18 David McKenzie (AUS) Vic 69,835.40 5
19 Ashley Hall (AUS) Vic 68,722.90 6
20 Anthony Summers (AUS) NSW 65,094.33 8
21 Andre Stolz (AUS) NSW 64,935.00 3
22 Paul Sheehan (AUS) NSW 62,049.07 6
23 Wayne Perske (AUS) Qld 62,040.00 5
24 John Senden (AUS) Qld 61,725.00 3
25 Jarrod Lyle (AUS) Vic 60,718.84 5
26 Brett Rumford (AUS) WA 59,437.50 3
27 Adam Bland (AUS) SA 58,477.56 5
28 Adam Crawford (AUS) Qld 54,935.05 8
29 Tim Wilkinson (NZL) NZL 52,650.00 2#
30 Marc Leishman (AUS) Vic 51,705.52 7
31 Rick Price (USA) USA 49,991.66 2#
32 Michael Sim (AUS) WA 48,000.00 3
33 Terry Price (AUS) Qld 45,316.23 8
34 Scott Laycock (AUS) Vic 44,842.09 7
35 Scott Barr (AUS) ACT 43,606.61 3
36 Peter O'Malley (AUS) NSW 39,475.34 6
37 Tony Carolan (AUS) Qld 39,062.09 4
38 Tim Wood (AUS) Vic 31,518.75 7
39 Cameron Percy (AUS) Vic 31,515.40 6
40 Anthony Brown (AUS) Vic 31,454.68 8
41 Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) WA 31,087.61 6
42 Alistair Presnell (AUS) Vic 30,783.33 6
43 Brad Lamb (AUS) Vic 28,805.52 9
44 Josh Geary (NZL) NZL 28,668.14 5
45 Stuart Bouvier (AUS) Qld 27,900.00 5
46 Ryan Haller (AUS) Qld 26,780.00 8
47 Peter Wilson (AUS) Vic 26,373.14 9
48 Won Joon Lee (AUS) NSW 26,155.09 4
49 Craig Scott (AUS) Vic 25,485.00 6
50 Kris Blanks (USA) USA 24,509.30 2#
51 Michael Long (NZL) NZL 24,387.27 11
52 Brad Kennedy (AUS) Qld 23,143.02 6
53 Matthew Millar (AUS) ACT 22,776.78 5
54 Aron Price (AUS) NSW 21,923.02 5
55 Steven Bowditch (AUS) Qld 21,650.00 6
-----------------------Top 50 Full Members----------------
56 Mahal Pearce (NZL) NZL 21,041.55 6
57 Scott Hend (AUS) Qld 20,700.00 5
58 Michael Brennan (AUS) NSW 20,550.00 5
59 Aaron Townsend (AUS) NSW 18,435.00 4
60 Bret Guetz (USA) USA 17,340.00 3#
61= Craig Parry (AUS) NSW 17,025.00 3
Gareth Paddison (NZL) NZL 2#
63 Bradley Hughes (AUS) Vic 16,575.00 5
64 Michael Wright (AUS) Qld 16,550.00 6
65 Bronson La'Cassie (AUS) Qld 16,359.89 5
66= Steve Alker (NZL) NZL 16,114.28 4
Craig Spence (AUS) Vic 3
----------------51-60 ranked Full Members-----------------
68 Jarrod Moseley (AUS) WA 15,605.64 7
69 Kim Felton (AUS) WA 15,385.40 5
70 Andrew Tschudin (AUS) Vic 15,305.52 5
71 David Lutterus (AUS) SA 15,300.00 3
72= Heath Reed (AUS) Vic 13,087.50 4
Stuart Appleby (AUS) Vic 3
74 Michael Curtain (AUS) Vic 12,750.00 7
75= Kurt Barnes (AUS) NSW 12,350.00 8
76 Richard Lee (NZL) NZL 11,670.00 4
77 Adam Blyth (AUS) Qld 11,400.00 3
78 Peter Lonard (AUS) NSW 11,250.00 3
79 David Diaz (AUS) Vic 11,048.84 9
80 Matthew Ballard (AUS) Qld 9,814.28 4
81 Rick Kulacz (AUS) WA 9,200.00 6
82 Andrew McKenzie (AUS) ACT 8,350.00 4
83 Martin Doyle (AUS) Vic 8,250.00 4
84 Peter Fowler (AUS) NSW 8,245.00 6
85 Leigh McKechnie (AUS) NSW 7,050.00 7
86 Doug Holloway (NZL) NZL 6,156.73 5
87 Aaron Black (AUS) NSW 5,898.75 7
88 Andrew Tampion (AUS) Vic 5,819.84 7
89 Paul Gow (AUS) NSW 4,930.00 4
90 Tim Wise (AUS) Vic 4,316.55 9
91= Ryan Hammond (AUS) Vic 3,825.00 6
Jason Norris (AUS) SA 3
93= Rudi Bezuidenhout (AUS) NSW 3,270.00 7
Peter Nolan (AUS) Vic 5
95= Ben Burge (AUS) NSW 3,210.00 4
Jamie Arnold (AUS) NSW 4
97 Shane Baxter (AUS) SA 3,187.14 9
98 Rowan Beste (AUS) Qld 3,180.00 5
99 Chris Campbell (AUS) ACT 3,090.00 4
100 Craig Jones (AUS) Qld 2,970.00 4
101 Michael Lambert (AUS) NSW 2,940.00 3
102 Luke Hickmott (AUS) Vic 2,910.00 3
103= Steve Jones (AUS) Vic 2,550.00 9
Scott Draper (AUS) Qld 9
105= Steve Collins (AUS) WA 2,246.55 6
James Nitties (AUS) NSW 6
Bradley Iles (NZL) NZL 3
----------------61-100 ranked Full Members-----------------
108= Chris Downes (AUS) Qld 1,768.00 10
Paul Marantz (AUS) NSW 5
110= Mark Purser (NZL) NZL 1,623.14 9
Steven Jeffress (AUS) NSW 7
Andrew Pitt (AUS) Vic 4
# Denotes Affiliate Member