Singapore, Sep 25 (IANS): American James Bowen, who claimed two victories on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this season, will head into the PGM MNRB Sarawak Masters next week in fine form.

Bowen had regained top spot on the ADT Order of Merit after battling into a thrilling playoff at the PGM-UMW Sabah Classic two weeks ago. Despite losing to Chinese Taipei's Chan Shih-chang on the third extra hole and missing out on his third ADT victory, Bowen managed to oust Malaysia's Iain Steel and take over the lead with a season's haul of $37,545.

"I'm happy to be back on top of the ADT Order of Merit again. I had a great week in Sabah and I'm back in Thailand to practice with my coach and to refine my game. Hopefully I can secure another win before the season ends," said the 27-year-old, who claimed victories in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Steel, who recorded two consecutive wins, trails Bowen by about $2,000 in second place.

"I've been struggling with a back injury in the last three seasons. The two wins in Chinese Taipei and Malaysia have really boosted my confidence. Hopefully, I can stay in top-3," said the 42-year-old Sabahan.

Malaysia's highest ranked golfer Nicholas Fung takes third place while Canadian Lindsay Renolds, who recorded six top-10 finishes, trails Fung closely by a mere $334 in fourth.

With about $12,000 separating Bowen from Jackson and three more tournaments left to play, the race to finish inside top-3 is very much alive. The top-3 will earn Asian Tour cards for 2014.

ADT Order of Merit - Top-10:

1. James BOWEN (USA) $37,545.62
2. Iain STEEL (MAS) $35,444.10
3. Nicholas FUNG (MAS) $28,681.43
4. Lindsay RENOLDS (CAN) $28,347.78
5. Grant JACKSON (ENG) $25,914.62
6. Mitsuhiko HASHIZUME (JPN) $20,121.24
7. Daniel BRINGOLF (AUS) $16,475.22
8. CHAN Shih-chang (TPE) $16,300.32
9. Darren TAN (AUS) $16,219.80
10. James BYRNE (SCO) $15,808.09