Thailand Open tees off today, Liang Wenchong favourite to win
The Thailand Open, which is the sixth leg of the OneAsia Season, will be taking place today at Burapha Golf Club. Remarkable players like Wiratchant, Katayama, Hendry, Mamat and Liang are expected to face each other. All the players have their eyes on the King’s Cup and prize money worth $1 million. This is a highly anticipated event and will test the skills and tactics of some of the most amazing golfers.
Liang Wenchong, even though he has not been victorious at the Thailand Open before, he is being considered as the strongest candidate to win the play off. A career-best eighth place finish at the PGA Championship on Sunday led him to be extremely confident and excited about the Thailand open tournament. He made headlines worldwide by setting a new course record of eight-under-par 64 at Whistling Straits on the shores of Lake Michigan. He shot around of 66, 75, 65 and 69 to finish tied on 13 under.
Even though he lost a tournament just last week to German player, Martin Kaymer, Liang claims to have gained a lot of insight on his play. Liang, who is paired with Hendry and Thaworn in group one, will start playing at 7:15am today. Due to his strenuous routine, the Chinese player is fatigued, but his confidence is higher than ever. Liang was triumphant in the Midea China Classic on OneAsia last year and also in this year's season opening Luxehills Chengdu Open. Currently, ranked second on OneAsia's Order of Merit, winning this tournament will make him number one on the list. This is a huge accomplishment for the thirty-two year old Chinese player.
Some golfers may face hectic routines, others face religious obligations. Being in a state of fasting during a tournament might have appeared as hurdle to many if Mardan Mamat hadn’t been victorious at the Mercedes-Benz Masters Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. This was his first victory during Ramadan in his playing career. Mardan beat Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul. "I have won in a couple of World Cup qualifiers during Ramadan but that was a team event. This is the first time I have won in a normal Tour event by myself", said Mardan. He participated in the Indonesia Open by Enjoy Jakarta last month and finished joint fifth, taking home a total of US$36,000. Best known for winning the 2006 Singapore Masters and the Indian Open in 2004, Mardan will be grouped with Chawalit and Katayama in the Thailand Open tournament.
All of the players for Thailand tournament have won various titles, raising the level of competition. Support is high for Thai veteran, Thaworn, as he is really looking forward to win his home open. Winning this tournament will make him the third Thai to earn the King’s trophy, which is considered to be a great honour. Having played at the Burapha Golf club before will not provide any bonus points for the Thai national as they are using a varied layout this time.
Not all the players in the tournament have hectic routines. Japan’s Katayama has been taking some time off and organizing his house. He is obviously really excited to participate in this tournament as well. Another Thai veteran, Pariya Junhasavasdikul, thinks that rain and wind could be a factor. He will be playing in his first OneAsia tournament. He also believes that being Thai does not give him an edge over the competition.
A player at the top of his game these days, Prom Meesawat, will work to the best of his ability to imitate his father’s famous win in 1991. The 26-year old golfer, after a great start to his career, hasn’t been up to the mark after suffering a horrendous injury that sidelined him for eighteen months. He is looking forward to improve his career by winning the Thailand Open, and also emerging as an accomplished player in the eyes of his father. Therefore, all of the eminent players are pumped and ready to play the tournament. May the best man win.
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