The winners, voted by a panel of judges from the European, Asian and Australasian Tours, will be announced on March 1 on the sidelines of the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic here.

Either Liang, Thailand's Chapchai Nirat or Choi will become Asian Player of the Year whilst McIlroy, Germany's Martin Kaymer, America's Tadd Fujikawa and Argentinian Andres Romero are jostling to be Young Player of the Year.

The Asian Rising Star Award, presented to a young professional who has shown the most promise, talent and commitment over the past 12 months, is between Korea's Lee Sung, Filipino Juvic Pagunsan, and Malaysia's Airil Rizman.

The annual awards were created over a decade ago. Previous recipients include Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Luke Donald, and Sergio Garcia.

The 2.5 million dollar Johnnie Walker Classic takes place at the DLF Golf and Country Club, just outside New Delhi, from February 28 to March 2.

It boasts a star-studded field including Scott, Vijay Singh, Ian Poulter, Colin Montgomerie, and Thomas Bjorn. -- AFP