Chinarat believes tide has turned

The 17-year-old Chinarat, who took the Asian Tour by storm after winning the Double A International Open in Thailand when he was still an amateur in November, made his first halfway cut in the paid ranks at the Maybank Malaysian Open last weekend and finished a creditable sixth.

His outstanding performance in Kuala Lumpur came as a timely reminder of his exceptional talent which helped him become the youngest winner on the Asian Tour.

“I am really happy because ever since my win at the Double A International, I have never made the cut until the Malaysian Open. But this only means that I have to work even harder to maintain my form and continue to deliver solid results,” said Chinarat.

“I did not expect such a high finish but I believe in myself and know it is the start of better things to come,” he added.

Chinarat's golfing life changed dramatically last season after he beat a top field that included home heroes Thaworn Wiratchant, Thongchai Jaidee and India's Shiv Kapur, whom he triumphed over in a play-off.

Although he was earmarked to lead Thailand in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games, Chinarat turned professional at the following week and played in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, a tournament which featured world number one Tiger Woods and did not have a halfway cut.

Subsequently, the young Thai struggled to find his feat in the rigours of professional golfing life, missing the cuts in the Volvo China Open, UBS Hong Kong Open, Okinawa Open and Qatar Masters. But in Malaysia last week, Chinarat hit form to card rounds of 70, 66 and 66 in the weather-shortened event and picked up his biggest cheque yet of US$40,625.

Chinarat said he was undeterred by the early setbacks and felt it was part of a steep learning curve. He added that the other Thai pros on the Asian Tour have also given him great support during practice rounds together.

“I have spoken to other golfers and learnt that mental strength is as important as physical fitness for us to cope with the demands of life on Tour. I will now go to the Indonesia Open (next week) and hope to make the cut and see where I go from there,” said Chinarat.

“I hope to emulate some of the top players and keep on learning as I move along,” he said.

February 23, 2006