|
Zaw back in action at "Beast of Samui"
 Myanmar's
Zaw Moe continues his comeback bid at the US$300,000 Bangkok Airways
Open this week not knowing if there is light at the end of a very
long tunnel.
The 38-year-old Zaw was rated as one of Asia's finest players during
the 1990s but a back surgery due to a slipped disc in 2004 has since
wrecked his career and reduced him to cameo appearances on the Asian
Tour.
Still, the big-hitting player from Myanmar keeps putting in the
long hours at the practice range, desperate to find a swing that
works on his gingerly back.
This week, he can certainly expect a rough ride, with Thai top
guns Thongchai Jaidee, last season's Asian Tour number one Thaworn
Wiratchant, Singapore's Mardan Mamat and title holder Lu Wen-teh
of Chinese Taipei headlining the field at Santiburi Samui Country
Club, a course nicknamed the "Beast of Samui" by the players,
on this holiday isle.
"Since my back surgery in 2004, my body has not been the same.
I can't swing it the same way like before. My mind is still there
but my body is not," admitted Zaw, who is a former Singapore
Open champion.
"I was out of action for six months after my surgery and last
year, I tried to come back but I haven't been successful."
Zaw, who was also a regular on the Japan Tour before losing his
card following his injury, tried to set up a teaching academy in
Singapore which is his home base but admitted that touring life
was "in my blood." Before his surgery, Zaw took pain killers
in hope of overcoming his back ailment but it proved too much for
him.
"I was numb in the right leg for several months before I decided
to have the operation. I tried to keep playing on but I couldn't
take it," said Zaw. "I've been playing for so long now
since the 1990s and I'd always worked hard and it wasn't difficult
to play. Now, it's too difficult. I've never been like this before.
"Physically my body is strong but when I really want to, I
can't do the things like before on the golf course. I have lost
a lot of balance. During the old days, when my swing wasn't good,
I can still get to the ball but now, when I'm out of synch, I am
out of position. I'm trying now to work on a swing that suits my
back.
"I tried to look for another job as a teaching pro in an academy.
I did it for a while in Singapore but I didn't like teaching. Playing
is in my blood. In practice I can shoot a good score but in tournament,
I play bad. I have to figure that out."
Since 2005, Zaw's appearances on the Asian Tour have been limited.
He has played 14 tournaments and has missed 10 cuts. His best outing
in two years is a tied 29th finish at the Pakistan Open last January.
Zaw last featured in the inaugural Aamby Valley Asian Masters in
India three weeks ago but missed the cut with rounds of 83 and 76.
"I was going left and right and had no chance to recover,"
he said.
"I'm trying to find something that works for me. I want to
play good again. My goal is to get back my game, re-establish myself
in Asia and I want to try hard for the next four to five years.
"Financially, I need to earn more prize money before retiring.
I've used up a lot of my savings but this year my Myanmar friends
have supported me by coming up with my Tour expenses. That's why
I come out again to play.
"I've been having it tough for a long time. If you get angry,
it doesn't help. I am trying to be patient. It's very hard right
now, I want to give up most of the time. In 2004, after one round,
I stopped playing in six or seven tournaments. I just kept withdrawing
all the time. I have to be patient and wait. I have no choice."
June 6, 2006
|
del.icio.us
digg
reddit
stumbleupon
facebook
google
What are these 
Email This Page
