Former Australian Amateur champion Rohan Blizard
has rocketed into the top-5 on the Order of Merit after claiming his maiden PGA
Tour China victory at the rain shortened Lanhai Open.

Blizard posted rounds of 70-67-69 to take a
one shot lead through 54 holes but was declared the winner after playing just
two holes of his final round when the course became unplayable because of heavy
rains.

Playing his second year on the Tour,
Blizard’s previous best finish was a runner-up result at the final tournament
of 2015.

His start to the 2016 season had been
indifferent with a T23 at the second event of the year his best prior finish
and just two score in the 60’s through 12 rounds.

But a 5-under back nine in his second round
sparked the 32-year-old and he maintained momentum with two birdies in the last
three holes of his third round to get to double digits under par.

Chinese star Zecheng Dou, twice a winner
already this season, shared second place after a bogey at his final hole
Saturday dropped him out of a share of the lead.

Blizard is now in good position to claim
one of the five Web.com Tour cards on offer at the end of the season for the
top-5 finishers on the Oder of Merit.

Also having a good week was Wollongong’s
Lincoln Tighe who posted his best result on the Tour with a T4.

Tighe rocketed up the leaderboard in the
third round with a brilliant 6-under 66, the high finish moving him inside the
top-30 on the Order of Merit.

Chris Brown was the next best of the
Australians in the field at T21 followed by Scott Laycock (T24) and Gavin
Flint, Mitch Davis and David McKenzie (T32).

Max McCardle, who opened the year with two
top-10 finishes, missed his first cut of 2016 and dropped outside the top-10 on
the Order of Merit.

Former New Zealand Open winner Jake
Higginbottom continues to find the going tough in 2016 with his third missed
cut in four starts after rounds of 73-75.