Jbe Kruger off to a decent start at the Thailand Golf Championship
South Africa’s Jbe Kruger got off to a decent start at the Thailand Golf Championship, as he shot a three-under par 69 in the first round, on Thursday, December 6, 2012.
The US$1 million event, which is being played at the prestigious Amata Spring Country Club, saw Kruger unveil his best putting skills on day one, and he looked more than confident to contend strongly in the tournament.
The South African currently holds the third spot in the Asian Tour Order of Merit and desperately needs a big finish this week, in a bid to challenge the leader Thaworn Wiratchant.
Kruger opened his round with straight pars on each of the first five holes that he played, prior to registering back-to-back birdies on the sixth and the seventh hole.
He then parred each of the next nine holes, and followed that with another birdie of the day on the 17th hole. At the end of the day, he found himself sharing the 10th position with a pack of 10 players.
Commentators said that the South African made a solid start to his campaign in Bangkok, and is expected to contend strongly in the remaining three rounds.
Since the field is packed with big names, it is somewhat difficult for Kruger to surge to the top of the leaderboard. However, he looks firm to make a strong move in the money list, by taking at least a top-10 position in the tournament.
“I’m playing better. Hitting it a lot straighter but just couldn’t get the putter going. The winds were probably a club and a half more in the afternoon but the greens tend to stand up more in the afternoon. I just couldn’t get the putter going,” Kruger
said.
“No bogeys, that’s good. The rough is penal here. I was in there once and I managed to get it up and down from 100 yards which was good. I’m not really going to watch Thaworn. It doesn’t matter what he is doing. You need to take the pressure off yourself,”
added the Bloemfontein resident, who won his maiden Asian Tour title earlier this year, at the Avantha Masters.
Tags: