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Third title inspires Chinnarat to eye world stage
 Thailand’s rising star Chinnarat Phadungsil can establish himself on the world’s stage after earning a terrific third Asian Tour title before his 21st birthday, says his father-cum-coach Anand.
Chinnarat won the Queen’s Cup on Sunday after an impressive display on the holiday isle of Samui but Anand revealed how his son needed to go to a military camp before discipline could be instilled in him.
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| Chinnarat Phadungsil and his father, Anand, with the Queen's Cup |
“I believe he can play on the US PGA Tour and become a world’s top-50 player and progress from there,” said Anand, who operates a driving range in Chantaburi, near Bangkok.
“When he was young, he was very naughty and needed three nannies to look after him. But I decided to send him to military camp for several weeks when he was about seven years old and it forced him to learn about discipline.
“I wanted him to play golf just to be a good boy. But as he grew, he became better and the late Bud Kareeput saw something in his game and took him under his wing. Chinnarat was always keen to practice.”
Anand says that raw talent is rich in his son’s veins and keeps reminding him that only hard work will bring the rewards. “This year, he has struggled a bit and he is always asking me to check his swing whenever he is back. I believe my son has got the talent, he only needs to continue to work hard to get better,” said Anand.
Chinnarat, whose triumph pushed him up to 32nd place on the latest Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, is also in no rush to hit the glory trail, saying he will continue to cut his professional teeth on the Asian Tour and in Europe.
Nicknamed “Neung”, which is the number “one” in Thai as his birthday falls on November 1 (1.11), Chinnarat is not the sort who will boldly declare that he wants to become the next Asian number one.
However, his next goal will be to win abroad. “My next target is to try to win a tournament in Europe. This week has made me feel more confident. I’m going to work harder now on my short game and putting. I would also like to get onto the PGA Tour before I’m 25 but I will continue to play on the Asian Tour and in Europe as well. This is where I have got all my confidence from,” said Chinnarat, who also holds a playing card on the European Tour this season.
He won the World Junior Championship in the United States in 2005 and produced a stunning play-off victory at the Double A International Open later in the year in Bangkok to become the youngest Asian Tour winner at the age of 17 and five days.
The following year, Chinnarat won the Crowne Plaza Open in China via a play-off but on Sunday, he powered his way to the title with three birdies over his closing five holes.
“I can’t believe that I have won three times before my 21st birthday but this week, I hit it really good. I asked my father to be with me this week as this was an important tournament for all Thais. He also gave me a putting tip which helped but I can’t tell you what it is as it’s our secret!” said Chinnarat.
Asian Tour Order of Merit – Top-20 (click here for full table)
1. Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) $749,290
2. Anthony KANG (USA) $372,469
3. Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) $246,745
4. KANG Sung-hoon (KOR) $238,285
5. Hiroyuki FUJITA (JPN) $207,142
6. Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) $181,083
7. Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) $152,676
8. Johan EDFORS (SWE) $149,917
9. Adam BLYTH (AUS) $145,180
10. BAE Sang-moon (KOR) $136,578
11. Mardan MAMAT (SIN) $124,188
12. NOH Seung-yul (KOR) $114,671
13. James KAMTE (RSA) $111,919
14. Darren BECK (AUS) $110,006
15. Ted OH (KOR) $101,859
16. LU Wei-chih (TPE) $99,149
17. Rick KULACZ (AUS) $87,264
18. Chapchai NIRAT (THA) $86,377
19. Jason KNUTZON (USA) $83,003
20. Scott BARR (AUS) $79,378
August 18, 2009
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