Volvo Masters course will test Asia's finest

The painstakingly prepared Thai Country Club will provide a stern test for Asia’s top players in the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia from December 6-9.

Jean-Pierre Schneider, General Manager, Thai Country Club, said that the greenkeeping staff had been working overtime to get the championship course in shape for the Asian Tour finale.

“Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee won last year with a total score of 11 under par and the Asian Tour have asked us to prepare the same kind of product that we had in 2006,” he said.

“We had the greens rolling on the last day at 12.3 on the stimpmeter, narrow fairways and long rough which made it quite a challenge. What we have done this year in way of preparation is change a few fairway bunkers, added new sand to be absolutely sure they are all consistent, and we have redone a few of the professional tee boxes to make sure they are totally level and the way they should be.

“We think the course, especially if it is windy like last year, will be as difficult to play. If it is not as windy, we expect the scores will be a bit higher which is good for all concerned.”

Schneider added that the greens had matured and would take more spin than last year.
“This year the greens should be more receptive to the pros and they will be able to get a bit of back spin on them,” he commented.

“At this stage, just under a month before the tournament, the greens are 80 per cent ready and I am confident they will be in perfect shape like the entire golf course for D-Day.”

Thongchai’s dramatic one-stroke victory over Filipino legend Frankie Minoza ignited the home fans last year and Schneider is anticipating another gripping contest with both the Volvo Masters of Asia title and the UBS Order of Merit up for grabs.

“Last year we could not have written the script better with local hero Thongchai Jaidee winning the event, quite narrowly at the end of the day,” he said.

“Last year we already knew the winner of the Order of Merit (India’s Jeev Milkha Singh) before the tournament. This year it would appear there are at least three or four contenders and they will have everything to play for.”

With four tournaments left in the 2007 season, China’s Liang Wen-chong leads the merit race by just under US$70,000 from Anton Haig of South Africa. Australia’s Scott Hend and Chapchai Nirat of Thailand could move into the reckoning with high finishes in the coming weeks.

The top-60 players on the UBS Order of Merit after the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open are eligible to play in the US$750,000 Volvo Masters of Asia.

November 14, 2007