The Manila-based Dutchman started the week in 83rd place on the Order of Merit but a tied sixth place at Amata Spring Country Club saw him jump to 59th spot on the back of US$31,500 in prize money.

A change of putting grip has improved his consistency on the greens and that has translated into better results in the second half of the season.

He gave himself a fighting chance of winning his card by finishing second at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic and finished the job in Bangkok with a nine-under-par 279 total.

Van Der Valk triple bogeyed the signature 17th hole with its island green to slip out of the top-five but still did enough with a closing 73 to guarantee his playing rights.

“It is lovely to get my card – it is massive especially with the way I did it. The way I turned my season around and saved my card is just great,” said Van Der Valk, who finished 13 strokes behind runaway winner Lee Westwood of England.

His fine performance at the Thailand Golf Championship follows other good displays by World Sport Group players during 2011.

David Gleeson of Australia celebrated joining WSG with a second-placed finish in the Macau Open and then secured his playing rights on the Asian Tour for another two years with victory in the Hero Honda Open.

Sweden’s Daniel Chopra spent this season on the secondary Nationwide Tour in the United States and regained his full PGA Tour rights by finishing 19th on the money list.

"I can't wait to get back on the PGA Tour because losing my tour card at the end of last year was a bitter pill to swallow," said the 37-year-old Chopra, who has won twice on the PGA Tour.

"But I committed myself to the Nationwide Tour this year and got the job done. I won early in the season but it was still stressful as I didn't play that well in the middle of the season as I was trying too hard."

A regular visitor to Asia, Chopra continued his renaissance with a second place finish in the European Tour/Asian Tour joint-sanctioned Johor Open in November.

Malaysia’s Danny Chia finished 53rd on the Asian Tour’s moneylist with winnings of US$74,622 to retain his playing rights for 2012. His biggest payday came at the US$6.1 million CIMB Asia Pacific Classic at The Mines Resort in Kuala Lumpur where he tied for 13th spot.

Marcus Both of Australia ensured a ninth straight season on the Asian Tour by finishing 42nd on the Order of Merit, thanks largely to top 10 finishes at the Indonesian Masters (tied third) and Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters (tied fifth).

The deal which was sealed by World Sport Group, the exclusive marketing partner of the Asean Football Federation (AFF), will see next year’s tournament bear the brand name of this leading Japanese car company for the third consecutive edition.

The AFF Suzuki Cup is Southeast Asia’s biggest football event. A record 192 million television viewers in key Asean markets watched the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup along with nearly 800,000 fans who attended the matches live.

“Our corporate slogan, "Way of Life" portrays the exciting lifestyle experiences which our customers can enjoy through our products, and our sponsorship of the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup reflects our passion for this motto,” said Kenichi Ayukawa, Executive General Manager, Global Automobile Marketing, Suzuki.

“We remain committed towards providing our full support to the AFF and its top football competition, and we are thrilled to share our passion with Southeast Asians through football and Suzuki’s world renown automobiles, motorcycles and outboard motors,” added Akuyawa.

“I am pleased that Suzuki has chosen to renew its partnership with the AFF to bring the biggest and most exciting sporting event to the region,” said HRH Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, President of the AFF. “The 2010 edition was the most successful since the inauguration of the tournament and clearly managed to ignite the passions and imagination of the millions of football fans in Southeast Asia.”

“Suzuki can be assured that the AFF will not rest on its laurels. We will work hand in hand with Suzuki to make the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup an even bigger success. With their support we can continue to develop the beautiful game in the region,” added His Royal Highness.

“Suzuki has been committed to Asean football since 2008 and we are delighted with their continued partnership as we look to build upon the outstanding success of last year’s event,” said Ian Mathie, Senior Vice-President, Football – South Asia, Asean and Australia. “As the region’s top football competition, the AFF Suzuki Cup provides the ideal platform for Suzuki to engage with football fans and achieve their business goals.”

Following the official draw scheduled to be held next year on July 11th, a qualifying round to determine the two teams which will join defending champions Malaysia and top seeds Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam in the final field of eight nations, will be held in Myanmar from October 5th to 13th.

The 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup will be held from November 24th to December 22nd. Malaysia and Thailand will co-host the group stage matches. The semi-finals and final matches will be played on a home and away basis.

In a deal with World Sport Group, SAFF’s exclusive marketing and media partner, YouTube will not only provide the platform for live streaming of the SAFF Championship matches, but clips of all the top action from every match will also be posted on each game day.

The live matches will be accessible globally through http://www.youtube.com/SAFFChampionship aexcept in India, where they will be available on a delayed basis the following day.

In addition, a full archive of match highlights from the 2009 edition of the event is already available on the site.

"We are thrilled to expand our partnership with World Sport Group and have our platform for live-streaming used to help national associations and leagues make deeper connections with their fans wherever they are in the world," said John Vamvakitis, YouTube Head of Sport Partnerships, Asia-Pacific.

“We are pleased to make the 2011 SAFF Championship available live on YouTube,” said James Clarke, Senior Vice-President, Content, World Sport Group. “Now, football fans all over the world can catch all the action live, or relive the event’s top moments on demand through the highlights videos.”

The SAFF Championship is a biennial competition that is contested by SAFF’s eight member nations Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Defending champions India will host the seventh edition of the event to be held from December 2nd to 11th.

All 15 matches of this 7th edition of the SAFF Championship which will be played at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi from 2nd December to 11th December 2011 will be telecast live on Ten Action+. Eight countries from the region: India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan will participate in this prestigious tournament.

Atul Pande, CEO-Ten Sports said, “We are delighted to broadcast the 2011 SAFF Championship. The championship will not only help in the development of football in the region but also in fostering goodwill among neighboring nations. The telecast of this prestigious tournament reaffirms our commitment to grow our football and sports broadcasting business, and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster.”

Harish Krishnamachar, Senior Vice President and Country Head, India, World Sport Group said, “World Sport Group has worked on seven editions of the SAFF Championship and we are happy to be producing this event in India. Together, our capability and the football pedigree of Ten Sports will help us deliver a world class event”.

Drawn in Group A alongside Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bhutan, five-time winners and defending champions India will kick off their campaign in the SAFF Championship against Afghanistan on December 3. Pakistan are in Group B along with runners-up Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, which will be held on December 9th, two days before the summit clash.

This deal by World Sport Group, SAFF’s exclusive marketing and media partner, marks the first time that the SAFF Championship will be available online.

Full coverage of all 15 matches from the SAFF Championship on Ustream kicks-off with the opening match between Bangladesh and Pakistan on December 2. Live streaming will be available on http://www.ustream.tv/SAFF to viewers worldwide except in India, where the matches will be broadcast on a delayed basis, 24 hours after each game is played.

"Ustream is pleased to partner with World Sport Group to distribute the live games of the 2011 SAFF Championship,” said Wayne Sieve, Vice-President of Sports, Ustream. "As the leader in live streaming video with an audience reach of 50 million unique monthly viewers, Ustream is providing the SAFF Championship with greater distribution of its matches so fans around the world can watch the live games and interact with one another.”

“We are excited about our partnership with Ustream and their interactive video streaming platform which is accessible globally,” said James Clarke, Senior Vice-President, Content, World Sport Group. “With the popularity and viewership for the SAFF Championship growing particularly on the sub-continent, we want to extend the broadcast of this event beyond television to a wider global audience through mobile and broadband channels. Ustream will help us to achieve this.”

The SAFF Championship is a biennial competition that is contested by SAFF’s eight member nations Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Defending champions India will host this seventh edition of the event to be held in New Delhi from December 2 to 11.

Following on the heels of David Gleeson’s victory in the Hero Indian Open, Chopra finished runner-up at the Iskandar Johor Open on Sunday.

Chopra, who led by two shots going into the third and final round at Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club, narrowly missed his 20-foot eagle putt on the last hole that would have forced a playoff with Joost Luiten of the Netherlands.

His title hopes had been rocked by a double bogey on the seventh hole but the two-time PGA Tour winner battled back with three birdies in his closing six holes to card a 70 and finish second on his own.

“It is a great way to finish the year. It has been a long hard working year and it is nice to have this good finish at the end of the season. It gives you some encouragement for the next year,” said Chopra, who grew up in India.

He will be back on the US PGA Tour in 2012 after earning his card through the Nationwide Tour.

Chopra and Australia’s Gleeson, whose victory came soon after joining World Sport Group in July, are part of an impressive line-up of players including India’s Arjun Atwal and Shiv Kapur, Malaysian Danny Chia, Australia’s Marcus Both, Filipinos Gerald and Jennifer Rosales and Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk.

OWS will present one rugby match per week for the entire season. OWS kicks off the 2011-2012 season on November 2 and concludes with the Grand Final in January 2012. The Top League is a popular professional rugby union league in Japan, and has some of the best rugby players from around the world. Founded in 2003, Top League is comprised of 14 corporate sponsored teams.

Top League joins OWS’ large series of professional sports leagues including Asia’s major soccer leagues: Australian A-League, Japan J-League, Korean K-League and the Chinese Super League. In addition, OWS has exclusive rights to the One Asia golf tour, and the world’s major table tennis, badminton and squash events. The Top League and other great sports from Asia are exclusively on OWS, which is available on DISH Network.

“OWS is excited to expand our Asian sports offering with the addition of the Japan Top League Rugby,” said Preston Bornman, Chief Operating Officer, ONE World Sports. “Rugby union is extremely popular worldwide and we are proud to offer Top League to our American audiences. One exclusive game per week is a perfect complement to our top Asian sports that includes soccer, basketball, golf and racquet sports coverage.”

“We are delighted that One World Sports is making Japan Top League Rugby available to American audiences,” said Tom Smith, Senior Vice-President, East Asia, World Sport Group. “Rugby’s popularity is growing around the world and we expect that American sports fans will welcome the addition of this exciting league to One World Sports’ growing roster of some of the top sports events and sports programming from Asia.”

The Japan Top League begins on OWS November 2 with the Panasonic Wild Knights taking on Suntory Sungoliath. For more information please visit http://www.oneworldsports.com

On TV, ESPN will broadcast live and exclusive coverage of the Emirates Australian Open between November 10 and 13. The tournament will welcome back reigning champion, Australian Geoff Ogilvy, as he sets out to retain the title in his home country, competing against a star-studded line-up including former world number one Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Fred Couples, Matt Kuchar, Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson. Live golf action on ESPN will then continue with coverage of the PGA Championship from Australia’s Sunshine Coast between November 24 and 27. ESPN will bring fans five hours of live coverage from each tournament every night, along with highlights of the action during the day.

Online, daily video highlights of both tournaments will be available along with reports and analysis throughout on ESPN.co.uk.

The Australian PGA Championship will welcome a host of big names to the tournament including former world number three Adam Scott, twenty times PGA Champion Greg Norman and major championship winner 2009 PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang. Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke is the latest addition to the line-up as he looks to add to his 2011 titles after his victory at this year’s British Open.

These additions expand ESPN’s broad multi-platform sports programming line-up. The sports media company has secured its first live darts programming, including the 2012 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships next January. Additionally, it has bolstered its football offering with the renewal of its rights to Italy’s Serie A, Dutch Eredivise and UEFA Europa League.

Jeroen Oerlemans, Vice-President TV Channels, ESPN EMEA, said: “As we continue to expand our content in the UK, we’re delighted to add two of the most important golf tournaments in the final months of the season. Through ESPN.co.uk and other media around the world, ESPN has a long association with golf that we will look to expand here in the UK.”

The 2011 PGA Championship and Emirates Australian Open form part of ESPN’s line-up of top quality UK and international sport, including: the Barclays Premier League, the FA Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, Bundesliga, the NFL’s Monday Night Football, NBA, UFC, AFL, French Top 14 rugby, DTM, and much more.

Singapore-based WSG, Asia’s leading sports marketing, media and event management company have been the exclusive commercial partners of SAFF since 1996, when they established an agreement to market South Asian football’s marketing and television rights for the first-time ever.

The new agreement commences this year and covers four SAFF Championships – 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 – the regional governing body’s flagship competition, which is held biennially. Together, SAFF and WSG have successfully delivered six SAFF Championships since the event was first launched in 1997.

“Our partnership with World Sport Group has been instrumental in securing the financial stability that ensures our sport’s sustainable growth in the region over the long-term. Their commitment over the past 15 years has helped us to establish the administrative foundation and infrastructure that is necessary for us to govern and develop the sport effectively,” said Kazi Salahuddin, President, SAFF.

“Today, football in South Asia is developing rapidly. We are seeing increased standards of competition among our member nations and we are proud that the SAFF Championship is now South Asia’s top football event. We look forward to continue growing the sport and building its profile with WSG, not just in South Asia, but across Asia,” added Salahuddin.

Since the partnership was established in 1997, WSG has signed-on an impressive roster of sponsors and broadcast partners who are some of the world’s leading companies and media giants. They include Emirates Airline, Toshiba and Nike among others.

“In just over a decade and a half, football in South Asia has experienced tremendous growth both on and off the field. During this time, we have enjoyed a unique partnership with SAFF that has positively impacted football in the region. SAFF has a distinguished group of marketing and media partners, and a great event – SAFF Championship – which is widely watched and growing in popularity across the region,” said Ian Mathie, Senior Vice-President, Football, Asean, Australia and South Asia.

“We are excited about continuing our work with SAFF and our partners to deliver top-class football from the region,” added Mathie.

The AFC Champions League channel, now accessible through http://www.youtube.com/AFCCHAMPIONSLEAGUE kicked-off with highlights from this year’s quarterfinal matches featuring clubs Cerezo Osaka (Japan), Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR), FC Seoul (Korea), Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR), Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), Sepahan (Iran), Zob Ahan (Iran) and Al Sadd (Qatar).

This week, highlights from the first leg semi-final matches between Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Al Sadd, and Al Ittihad and Jeonbuk Motors to be played on Wednesday, 19 October will be featured.

Videos of the final matches of the 2003 to 2010 seasons are already available on the channel, with plans to extend the content to include clips from all matches from the 2012 season onwards. Other featured videos including player interviews, press conferences and several series of Top Ten moments will be added in the coming months.

"We are glad to have World Sport Group as a launching partner of YouTube in Singapore and excited that this partnership will allow sport fans around the world to enjoy videos from the AFC Champions League and more sports events in the near future,” said Anthony Zameczkowski, Head of Partnerships, YouTube.

“The AFC Champions League YouTube channel is an important part of our commitment to make content from the AFC Champions League available on all platforms to Asian football fans around the world,” said James Clarke, Senior Vice-President, Content, World Sport Group, the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) exclusive marketing partner.

“The competition enjoys a wide television audience across Asia, and with the addition of a YouTube channel, we look forward to growing a global online community for the league. Everyone with internet access can now follow all the exciting action from the AFC Champions League,” added Clarke