MACAU OPEN RELATED STORIES Macau Open Preview Round 1: Both takes one shot lead with 66 Round 2: Kennedy leads strong Aussie challenge Round 3: Kennedy stretches lead to three Round 4: Webber wins as Kennedy crumbles Webber up to 33rd in UBS Order of Merit Final Scores & Prize Money Elkington keen to impress at Macau Open Elkington to star in Macau ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Swedes sweep World Cup win Lin & Marksaeng near top 50 HK: Lin wins in 3-way playoff Asian Tour hits landmark 300 in HK Asian Tour releases 2009 schedule Report predicts 30% China golf growth GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Sweden win World Cup Internationals claim Lexus Cup Pampling wins in a playoff Choi wins Skins Game Amateur: EGU allow range finders

Rested Prom confident of solid showing

Thai sensation Prom Meesawat, after a well rested week, is primed for a solid outing at the US$300,000 Macau Open starting on Thursday.

After lifting his maiden title in Korea two weeks ago, Prom decided to take a short break and spend time with his family. It was a fitting move for the 21-year-old talent who believes that he is now as composed as ever ahead of the challenges at the Macau Golf and Country Club.

“I’m feeling good coming here and fairly confident. I did not set any targets not to add any pressure, but if I do put myself into a good position, then I will go for a win,” said Prom, who is ranked sixth on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit.

“After my win (the SK Telecom Open), I went back to Thailand and stayed with my family where we had dinner together to celebrate my success which was fun.

“I took last Monday and Tuesday off from golf but started to work on my game since then. Nothing too hectic as I wanted to relax the whole of last week.”

It is now back to action for Prom who will be focused on his swings in the hopes of making it through the tricky course.

“If it is windy, it is going to be very tough here but if it’s not, you still have to keep the ball on the fairway. For me, the first shot is crucial. If you hit a poor first shot, it might go down the cliff. You’ve got to be spot on,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aussie ace Terry Pilkadaris, last year’s Brunei Open winner, is also tipped to be at the forefront in Macau after a couple of good runs the past one month. Pilkadaris chalked up two top-10s in the last three events competed. He finished tied eighth in the BMW Asian Open last month and was third at the Aamby Valley Asian Masters in India on Sunday.

“I’m feeling good. After the TCL Classic, I finally got my irons sorted out. It took me around six months to realize that I have been using the wrong shafts but since changing them, it seems to be working really good now,” said Pilkadaris.

“I’m confident as I’ve played here before and know what to expect. If you can shoot 15 to 20 under, you are going to win,” he said.

Aussie star Steve Elkington, who had an impressive 10 wins on the US PGA Tour, will also be in the thick of the fray at Macau.

The other top class talent in the field include defending champion from Chinese Taipei Wang Ter-chang, India’s Shiv Kapur, last season’s Volvo Masters of Asia champion, China’s Zhang Liang-wei, who won back-to-back titles at the Macau Open in 2001 and 2002, and American Jason Knutzon who was victorious in 2004.

“I’ve got good memories here so hopefully it will be another good year for me,” said Knutzon.

“It has been a slow start for me. My short game has not been very good. Hopefully this tournament will springboard me to a good rest of the year,” he said.

May 16, 2006