Niall Turner produced his best performance in over a year this weekend when he carder three consecutive rounds in the 60’s to take 5th place in the Venetian Macau Open.  Turner took a huge step to retaining his full playing rights on the Asian Tour, he jumped over 70 places to get into the top 50.

The Muskerry man had a four under par 67 to maintain his top ten place and in the end he took home $41,000 from his 5th place finish.  Unlike earlier rounds, Turner had a quiet front nine but he did birdie the 7th and 9th.  On the back nine he had four birdies and two bogies, before parring the last three holes and signing for a 67.

This is Turner’s fifth year in Asia and it’s another one where he has struggled with injury.  He bounced back last week, making his first cut of the season and a top 15 finish.  Turner scored his first win as a professional last year when he won the Linc Group Jakarta Classic on the Asian Development Tour, although the $10,000 he won there pales when compared with the much larger purses on the main tour.  Turners high placed finish should strengthen his chances of getting into the UBS Hong Kong Open next week.