2008 Asian Tour International - In-form Kiyota looking for maiden victory

Japan’s Taichiro Kiyota will be hoping that his rich vein of form will steer him to a maiden title at the Asian Tour International which tees off on Thursday.

Kiyota, 27, is relishing a return to Pattana Golf and Sports Resort as it was at the venue that he first earned his Asian Tour card through Qualifying School in 2006 before going on to establish himself in the region.

The slightly built Japanese is the highest ranked player in this week’s inaugural US$300,000 event and he hopes to live up to his top billing.

“My form is good but I’ve been quite lucky too. My short game and putting have been really solid which helped me produce a nice start to the year. But coming into this week is going to be tough. The weather is not too hot and I like the conditions here so we’ll see how I progress after the opening round tomorrow,” said Kiyota, who is presently eighth on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.

He will be joined by a strong Japanase contingent that include Tatsuhiko Ichihara, Takuya Taniguchi, Yoshinobu Tsukada, and Mitsuhiro Tateyama. The local charge will be led by Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and Prayad Marksaeng alongside Malaysia’s Ben Leong, former US PGA Tour player Scott Hend of Australia, Filipino Artemio Murakami and Indian stalwart Gaurav Ghei.

After finding his feet in Asia last season, Kiyota has enjoyed a strong run in 2008 when he challenged for the Johnnie Walker Classic title in India before settling for tied second place.

“I finished well at the Johnnie Walker Classic earlier in the month and I hope to carry my momentum here. I am enjoying the start of my second year on the Asian Tour. I’m much more fluent in English than before I joined the tour. I’ve improved on a lot on it which gave me added confidence,” said Kiyota.

As an amateur, Kiyota enjoyed a solid amateur career where he finished in the top-10 at the World Amateur Championship in 2001. He also qualified for the 2002 US Open and turned professional in 2003.

“There are a lot of good Japanese and Thai players this week so it’s not going to be easy. I played here during the Qualifying School in 2006 but it’s slightly different though. I am feeling good about my game and I think I have a strong chance of a win this week.”

Thailand’s Prayad, who is bound for the US Masters next month, will be among the local stars eager for a winning run on a course which saw him clinch a local title last year. The popular Thai has won six titles on the Asian Tour, with his last win being the Volvo Masters of Asia on home soil in December.

“There are a lot of good players this week, it will be a challenging affair. I have a strong chance because I have won on this course before. I defeated Chawalit (Plaphol) in a play-off so I know the course rather well.

“All aspects of my game have come together and I’m feeling really comfortable out there. I think it’s partly because I have been practicing more on the course more than on the driving range. Maybe that has helped me,” said Prayad.

March 19, 2008

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