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Pilkadaris seeks successful Brunei defence

After a well-rested summer break, a recharged Terry Pilkadaris is gunning for a successful title defence at the US$300,000 Brunei Open next week.

The Melbourne-based Pilkadaris has fond memories of his emphatic five-stroke victory at the magnificent Empire Hotel and Country Club and said he would review television footages from last year's inaugural championship for inspiration.

“I have fond memories of my victory in 2005, so I will draw on the good shots that I hit last year. Also I will review the video footages from the event's highlight show to to familiarize myself with the course again," said Pilkadaris, who accumulated a winning total of 19-under-par 265 last year.

Currently 14th on the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit, Pilkadaris enjoyed a strong finish to the first half of the season when he recorded back-to-back top five finishes in the Aamby Valley Asian Masters in India and Macau Open.

The thrills and chills of the game, however, were far from his mind as Pilkadaris spent time away from golf to unwind with his wife Monique and eight-month old son Zach.

“I put the clubs away for one month as I was feeling burnt out, and I have been spending a lot of time with my family,” said Pilkadaris, rated as one of the most hardest working player on the Asian Tour.

His wife, a psychologist by profession, has been a major driving force behind the Aussie’s rise in Asia and she not only helps with his mental aspect but also with caddieing duties. Monique was on the bag when he triumphed in Brunei.

“I don't have any form at the moment as I have only started practicing (a few weeks ago) but I am going to practice hard in preparation for the second half of the season.

"The two top fives finishes (Aamby Valley Asian Masters and Macau Open) were good, especially in Macau as I had to birdie my last hole on Friday to make the cut, and then to finish fifth was very pleasing indeed,” added the 32-year-old.

He will face a strong test in his defence as the Brunei Open has attracted Asia's top stars including reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand and Jyoti Randhawa of India, a former Asian number one.

Pilkadaris, a three-time winner in Asia, is looking forward to the challenges ahead, especially when he has yet to successfully defend a title. “There will be many strong contenders this year. The likes of Prom Meesawat is playing well, Wang Ter-chang is very consistent once again and I was very impressed with Chinarat Phadungsil when we played together recently," said Pilkadaris.

August 15, 2006