BLACK MOUNTAIN MASTERS RELATED STORIES Black Mountain Masters home page Black Mountain Masters Preview Round 1: Edfors fires course record to lead by two Round 2: Edfors stretches lead with Minoza in pursuit Round 3: Edfors maintains lead but cut to two Round 4: Edfors wins wire-to-wire as Prayad surges Final Scores & Prize Money About the course Six to watch this week Parnevik leads strong Scandinavian challenge Prom looks to Dad to help him make a splash Prayad has two Masters objectives Thongchai still motivated to climb more mountains Strong support for Black Montain Masters Full details of the Black Mountain Golf Club Asian Tour Order of Merit after the Black Mountain Masters MORE ASIAN GOLF NEWS Old Guard Show Form In Philippines Mike Kerr New Asian Tour CEO Nirat Eyes Title In Philippines 2012 Performance Stats Hiratsuka Hopes To Defend In Myanmar Sponsors Show Support For Philippine Open Champions Head To Myanmar 84 Players Make Final Stage

Event Preview - Prom looks to Dad to help him make a splash

Thailand’s Prom Meesawat will be counting on his legendary father’s support to help him keep up with the in-form Chapchai Nirat at the inaugural Black Mountain Masters starting on Thursday.

The talented Prom is eager to secure a second Asian Tour victory at the spectacular Black Mountain Golf Club which is located in his home town of Hua Hin, a two-hour drive south of the capital city of Bangkok.

He said victory would be a gift to his father-cum-mentor Suthep, the first Thai to win the Thailand Open in 1991, and also put him closer to Chapchai’s victory tally of three as they have forged a friendly rivalry since bursting onto the Asian Tour scene several years ago.

“My dad will be out to watch me play every day. He is my coach and I work with him. It’ll be nice to win a tournament for him. This week is very special as I’ll be playing at home and in front of my supporters,” said Prom.

The 24-year-old Thai has been frustrated by his inability to follow up on his maiden Asian Tour success at the 2006 SK Telecom Open in Korea but being on home soil and in fairly good form has given him the impetus to shoot for victory.

Chapchai, who won the SAIL Open in India last week with a record 32-under-par winning total, will headline a stellar field at the US$500,000 event which includes two-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee, American Anthony Kang, the current Order of Merit leader, Finland’s Mikko Ilonen and Swedes Jesper Parnevik and Johan Edfors, who are playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week.

“I’ve had a couple of chances to win this year (at the Asian Tour International and Singha Thailand Open) but I’ve not been able to pull them off. I’ve always had one average round during the week,” said Prom, who is nicknamed the “Big Dolphin” for his hefty physique and the fact that he hails from Hua Hin, a coastal resort town.

“I’m hitting the ball well but some putts don’t want to drop. Sometimes, you need luck for the putts to go in,” he said.

The par 72, 7,345-yard Black Mountain course, which opened for play in 2007, is title sponsoring the Asian Tour’s newest tournament in Thailand. The course is set in a valley, just next to the "Black Mountains", which are so named because of the large black rocks set into the mountains, providing a spectacular backdrop to many of the holes.

Prom believes the in-form Chapchai will be one of his main threats. “It’s actually a course which is suited for big-hitters like Chapchai. There is not much rough and the par fives are reachable in two.

“I’m going to try to win my second title. The SK Telecom win seems like a long time ago. It’ll be nice to do it this week.”

Chapchai was still on cloud nine after his record-breaking feats in India where he set 36, 54 and 72 hole records en route to a third career win on the Asian Tour. His winning score was also the lowest amongst the six major Tours in the world.

“I’m still enjoying the win. It was a good week. Every part of my game worked nicely, I drove the ball well, hit my irons solid and holed a lot of putts. It’s good to know that my score is the lowest in the world,” said Chapchai.

Like Prom, Chapchai is amongst a new generation of golfers emerging from Thailand and the burly 25-year-old will be gunning for back-to-back wins and a first title on home soil. “I’m looking for another good week, especially being at home. I’m feeling good.”

Ilonen, a two-time winner on the European Tour, paid tribute to the quality of players coming out from the Land of Smiles. “A lot of good Asian players are coming out from this country,” he said.

“They all seem pretty skilful. We saw what happened in India last week. It shows the players are getting better, the standard are getting better. A few weeks ago, another Thai player (Prayad Marksaeng) was amongst the leaders in Doral at the CA Championship. It gives confidence to the guys to try somewhere else and become international golfers,” said Ilonen.

The full-field Asian Tour event will also see many top sponsors including PTT, Federbrau, TAT and Hua Hin Hoteliers Club supporting the Black Mountain Masters.

March 24, 2009