2007 Volvo Masters of Asia - Thongchai wants a Royal celebration victory

Thongchai Jaidee, the undisputed king of golf in Thailand, wants a record third Volvo Masters of Asia crown in honour of his nation’s revered King who celebrated his 80th birthday today.

Thongchai will start as the racing favourite in the US$750,000 Asian Tour’s season finale at Thai Country Club where he also hopes to maintain a proud streak of winning a title in every year since 2000.

The Thai star must contend with the region’s elite players as 55 from the top-60 of the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit are assembled in Bangkok. The focus will also be on Liang Wen-chong of China who is bidding to become Asia’s new number one in a straight fight with Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat.

However, Thongchai is determined to steal the show once more in the Volvo Masters of Asia, a tournament he first won on home soil in 2003.

“Today is my King’s 80th birthday. I would like to try to win it for the King and my country. As you can see, we are all wearing yellow shirts today as a show of respect,” said Thongchai, a two-time Asian number one.

“I’m feeling confident. I took last week off from Tour and played a bit of golf back home (in Lopburi). This course sets up well for me. You need to think your way through to post a good number.”

He is proud of his winning run but Thongchai, an eight-time winner on the Asian Tour, does not want to be distracted by records or statistics. “I will try to win but I don’t want to think too much about it as it can add to the pressure. If I play well, I will have a chance,” he said.

Last year, he triumphed with an 11-under-par 277 aggregate, one better than Filipino veteran Frankie Minoza, but Thongchai predicted that scoring will be much lower at the sixth edition of the Volvo Masters of Asia.

“There’re not much rough this week but the greens are firm. If someone putts well in all four rounds, he’ll win. It’ll be a low scoring week and it will be a lot lower than 11 under.”

While he hopes to see compatriot Chapchai defy the odds and prevent Liang from lifting the prestigious UBS Order of Merit title, Thongchai said that the Chinese leader will have the edge.

Chapchai needs nothing less than a victory this week and Liang to finish outside the top-three for the Thai to claim Asia’s number one. The burly Thai, who trails by US$95,005 in the Merit race, will play alongside Liang in Thursday’s opening round.

“I think Liang has a very good chance. He’s been very steady and has had a good year. Chapchai has a chance but all the top players from the Asian Tour are here this week, so it’ll make it tough for him,” said Thongchai.

Chapchai, who has two wins this season, said: “There is no pressure at all. At the moment, I’m second on the rankings which has already exceeded my expectations this year. This is my sixth tournament in a row and I’m very tired. It is nice to be able to stay at home this week and I just want to get on with the golf.

“I know that I need to be mentally prepared and if I finish in the top-10, I’ll be happy.”

Liang, who has led the Merit race since May after posting one win and eight top-10s, is keeping his mind firmly on the job at hand. “I’m not going to let the pressure affect me. I’m concentrating only on my own game and hopefully play well enough to finish the year as number one,” said Liang.

December 5, 2007

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