Monday, July 11, 2011

Thai Stars Set Sights On Indonesia Open Presented By Enjoy Jakarta



Jakarta, July 11: Top Thai duo Chawalit Plaphol and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, both winners this season, will bring their considerable talent to OneAsia for this week’s US$1 million Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta.

They join a strong field for the seventh tournament of the season on OneAsia at Damai Indah Golf - Pantai Indah Kapuk Course.

Defending champion Michael Hendry of New Zealand, OneAsia number one Liang Wenchong of China, Japanese legend Shigeki Maruyama, Irishman Paul McGinley and multiple winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand will challenge for the title from July 14-17.

Chawalit burst back to prominence after a period in the doldrums with victory in the Queen’s Cup on home soil last month, his first big win since lifting the Bangkok Airways Open in 2006.

“I am playing really well at the moment and I want to compete in as many tournaments as possible while my form is hot,” said the 36-year-old Chawalit, who possesses one of the sweetest swings in Asian golf.

“This will be the first time I have played a OneAsia event outside of Thailand and I know the competition will be tough.”

The big-htting Kiradech, dubbed “Asia’s John Daly” because of his grip-it-and-rip-it style, underlined his huge potential with victory in the SAIL Open in India earlier this year.

Kiradech showed immense promise in the amateur ranks and was the World Junior champion in both 2003 and 2004.

He turned professional at the E-San Open in 2007 and immediately made his mark with a final round 61 to finish sixth.

Kiradech, 21, shot another 61 on his way to victory in the 2009 Singha Pattaya Open on the ASEAN PGA Tour to underscore his ability to shoot low scores.

Hendry propelled his name into the spotlight last year with an emphatic seven-stroke victory in the Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta.

The 30-year-old from North Harbour started the day with a one-stroke lead and fired a flawless final round seven-under-par 65 at Damai Indah Golf - Pantai Indah Kapuk Course to finish comfortably ahead of second-placed Liang.

Adding colour to his winning moment, several of Hendry’s fellow professionals, including Josh Carmichael and Brendan Stuart, performed the Haka – the traditional Maori dance made famous by the All Blacks rugby team – as he walked off the 18th green.

Liang has won a record three titles on OneAsia and topped the moneylist last year with winnings of US$560,736. The Chinese number one showed he can hold his own with the world’s best by finishing eighth in last year’s US PGA Championship, thanks largely to a course record 64 in the third round at Whistling Straits.

The evergreen Thaworn, one of Asia’s most decorated players with a dozen titles to his name, placed fifth in OneAsia’s season-opening Indonesia PGA Championship and is eying another high finish.

Maruyama, nicknamed the “Smiling Assassin”, has won three times on the US PGA Tour and has amassed 10 more titles globally, including the 2002 World Cup with Toshi Izawa in Mexico.

McGinley, the golfer whose name is synonymous with Ryder Cup glory, will be a popular addition to the tournament.

He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. It was the start of a remarkable stretch for the Dubliner as he was also part of the winning team in 2004 and 2006.

McGinley has triumphed four times on The European Tour with his best season coming in 2005 when he claimed the Volvo Masters and finished third on the Order of Merit.

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