Perth, Australia, February 12: South Africa’s Justin Harding is ready for another wild ride as he makes his debut at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth which starts on Thursday.

As the highest ranked player in the field this week, the world number 65 admits he is feeling the pressure of living up to his ranking but is also hoping to soak in as much fun as he can at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club.

The South African, who just celebrated his 33rd birthday last Saturday, has been enjoying a splendid run since he burst onto the scene on the Asian Tour last July.

Harding’s breakthrough in Indonesia was the catalyst that saw him going on to notch another win in Thailand a fortnight later before securing another four top-10s to end the year in third place on the money list.  He started 2019 with a tied-seventh finish in Dubai, a tied-14th place in Saudi Arabia, and a fourth-place finish in Melbourne last week.

Thailand’s Poom Saksansin is hoping to continue where he left off after closing his 2018 Asian Tour season in style by winning the Tour’s season-finale in Jakarta last December.

The Thai’s match play record is exemplary with his high profile scalps at the EurAsia Cup last year and is optimistic his recent swing change will set him on his way to the Sunday showdown.

Australia’s Lucas Herbert, who lost in the semi-finals to eventual winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat last year, is meanwhile looking to make amends, given his proud record at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club.

Did you know?

• The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth is the final event for players to boost their world rankings and break into the top-50 so as to qualify for the World Golf Championships- Mexico Championship next week.
• The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perthis the only tournament in professional golf that features an innovative stroke play and match play format.
• It is a revolutionary golf tournament designed to retain the traditions of the game whilst appealing to a broader audience.
• Justin Harding finished third on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after two standout victories in Indonesia and Thailand last year.
• He started the year in 85th position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and moved 20 places down to his current 65th after enjoying two top-10s in Dubai and Melbourne this year.
• Poom ended his 2018 in style by winning the season finale in Indonesia last month for his third Asian Tour title.
• Poom claimed his breakthrough at the Indonesian Masters in 2016. He went on to claim a wire-to-wire victory for his second Asian Tour title in India the following year.
• The 25-year-old Thai is dubbed ‘The Baby-faced Assassin’ for his high-profile defeats of Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey on the Asian Tour last year.
• He started the year with a tied-24th finish at the Asian Tour season-opening event in Singapore.
• Lucas Herbert has two top-10 finishes in this event the last two years.He finished third in 2018 and tied-ninth in 2017. He finished tied-second in both years after the three stroke play rounds.