Korean star K.J. Choi has tipped India's young gun Himmat Rai to establish himself as one of Asia's leading players.

The 22-year-old Rai pushed Choi, a seven-time winner on the US PGA Tour, all the way at the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia on Sunday before settling for a share of third place.

While disappointed that he failed to pull off a giant-killing feat, Rai earned a measure of consolation as his cheque of US$55,150 virtually secured his Asian Tour card for next season.

Choi, who is an Asian Tour honorary member, was thoroughly impressed with the Indian, who is amongst a new generation of exciting young players to emerge from the sub-continent.

"Himmat is a very good player. He is a long hitter and has a lot of control. The only thing that I would point out is that he has the tendency to hit it too fast but overall he has a good game," said Choi, who won in Malaysia by four strokes.

"I told him that he definitely has to come over to the US PGA Tour because he has the game to excel. The only thing that would set him apart is the mental game. As long as he can make his mental game stronger and work on some of his weakness like the tempo of his swing, I think he definitely can compete with the guys in the US."

Rai showed poise beyond his years to give himself a chance of winning his first Asian Tour title. He led into the third and final round in Johor but Choi overtook him with a fantastic closing round of 64.

The Indian is now ranked 46th on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit with US$75,986, with the top-65 players keeping their playing rights for next year. He now hopes to put his lessons to valuable use for the remainder of the season.

"It feels good and satisfying to know that I played so well. Overall it has been a great tournament for me. Playing with K.J. Choi and the amount that I learnt from him is unbelievable.

"His concentration is very good and he hit some really great shots. Having played so well, I'm beginning to feel much more confident about my game. I'm just looking forward to playing on the Asian Tour and playing my heart out," said Rai.

Thailand's Chapchai Nirat was the biggest mover when he jumped to seventh place on the Order of Merit. He finished runner-up which earned him US$108,500 and increased his season's tally to US$207,605.

Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand continues to lead the race to become Asia's number one with his haul of US$869,872. American Anthony Kang is second with US$400,264 followed by Japan's Daisuke Maruyama who has won US$337,596.

The Asian Tour heads to Sentosa for this week's US$5 million Barclays Singapore Open which is co-sanctioned with the European Tour. The event starts on Thursday.

ORDER OF MERIT - TOP-20
1. Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 869,872
2. Anthony KANG (USA) 400,264
3. Daisuke MARUYAMA (JPN) 337,596
4. Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 289,350
5. Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 241,130
6. C. MUNIYAPPA (IND) 219,849
7. Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 207,605
8. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 204,681
9. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 184,994
10. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 182,828
11. Adam BLYTH (AUS) 165,022
12. NOH Seung-yul (KOR) 159,292
13. Angelo QUE (PHI) 152,097
14. KIM Kyung-tae (KOR) 150,685
15. LEE Sung (KOR) 150,214
16. Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 146,845
17. Darren BECK (AUS) 139,467
18. BAE Sang-moon (KOR) 136,578
19. James KAMTE (RSA) 135,498
20. LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 133,355