2006 Crowne Plaza Open - Event Preview

The talented Thai has won five times on the Asian Tour, which resumes this week after a two-month summer break, but he has never quite succeeded in defending the same event. But with the US$200,000 tournament being played at the scenic Yalong Bay Golf Club on Hainan island, Prayad has reason to feel confident.

"I feel good. I'm playing well and I'm driving the ball nicely and putting alright. I like this golf course because of its layout and I've got good memories as I finished third here in the TCL Classic earlier this year. I'm looking forward to it," said Prayad today.

"I've never won the same event twice before, so it won't be a bad week to do so. It always feels nice to come to an event as the defending champion and hopefully, I can win it again."

While he accumulated a four-day total of 23-under-par in his last visit to Yalong Bay, Prayad knows scoring won't be low this week as the Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed course is playing tough, with thick rough lining the fairways and the ball not rolling due to heavy rain since Sunday.

"It's a harder course for sure," said Prayad. "You won't get 25-under winning this week. There was no rough the last time as well and if you miss your drive, you'll have a tough shot out," said Prayad, who defeated Australian Marcus Both in a play-off for last year's title.

The slightly built Thai feels he may have an edge over the field which includes last season's Asian Tour number one and compatriot Thaworn Wiratchant, Prom Meesawat of Thailand, India's Amandeep Johl, Chinese Taipei's Wang Ter-chang and Korea's Suk Jong-ryul, all who are ranked inside the top-20 of the UBS Order of Merit.

"Some of the players may be rusty after the break but I've been playing in Japan throughout, so my game feels pretty sharp," said Prayad, whose good form saw him post a runner-up finish in Japan a fortnight ago.

Amongst the players looking to shake off some rust is Thai-based Scotsman Simon Yates, returning to action after four-month lay-off due to a shoulder injury. While most would have stayed home to recuperate, Yates competed in Thailand's Supercar racing circuit and even saved a girl from drowning on the holiday isle of Phuket.

"It's nice to be back playing tournaments and trying to get back into the groove. Hopefully I can play better than the past one year. The shoulder feels alright and I've been hitting it good. Hopefully, the top-10s will start coming again," said Yates, the most successful international player on Tour by virtue of his fifth place ranking on the career money list with US$1.2 million in earnings.

A former downhill skier during his youth, the 37-year-old Yates admits he is hooked on speed. He has raced in three events in recent times, winning one and finishing third. "It's good fun. The heart is going off on the first tee and it's the same on the racing grid. But once the car starts going, it's all instinctive. In golf, you'll get a few holes to settle the nerves down. You don't have that in racing," said Yates, currently 36th on the UBS Order of Merit.

Yates was also the good Samaritan during summer. "This couple got swept out into the sea while I was in Phuket. I saw this girl half-drowning, her head was just above water. Your instinct tells you that you've got to try and save her and I swam out and grabbed one arm and got the boyfriend to grab the other arm. The lifeguards came about a minute and half later. If I hadn't gone out, I think she would have drowned. She got lucky."

Filipino Angelo Que, who holed the putt for Asia's winning point over Japan in the Visa Dynasty Cup last year, will be hoping to maintain his lucky streak after gaining much needed confidence by winning the OSK Pro-Am, a Malaysian tour event last weekend.

With only one top-10 to his name this year, the 28-year feels ready to win again after his only triumph at the 2004 Carlsberg Masters Vietnam. "I didn't do much and just took a break from golf. I only started practising hard two weeks before going to Malaysia and I played really good. I just feel refreshed now. I feel like I'm playing good golf again and I'll be aiming for a win in the second half of the year," said Que.

China's hopes at the Crowne Plaza Open, which is celebrating its third edition and is the 17th leg of this season's Asian Tour, will rest squarely on the shoulders of Li Chao, last year's China Tour number one.

August 16, 2006

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