Thongchai Triumphs

[Jai Dee]

THONGCHAI TRIUMPHS

Minoza settles for 2nd place

Thongchai Jaidee signed off the year in spectacular style with a victory in the US$650,000 season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia at the Thai Country Club yesterday.

It was the last throw of the dice for Thongchai to maintain his proud record of winning at least a title per season since 2000. He rose to the occasion by holding off a stiff challenge from a chasing pack before sealing the narrow win with a four-round total of 11-under-par 277, one-shot ahead of Frankie Minoza of the Philippines.

The victory not only helped Thongchai break his duck this year but also lifted him to second place on the UBS Order of Merit, receiving $104,000.

The 37-year-old Thongchai, heading into the final round with two-stroke lead on 11-under-par 205, seemed set to romp home following two successive birdies in his first two holes.

Thongchai's fortunes, however, suddenly changed as he dropped a shot in the par-four fifth hole. Things went from bad to worse for the former paratrooper following a double-bogey in the next hole.

The Lop Buri-born golfer got into trouble after his tee-shot found the bunker behind the pin at the tricky par-three sixth hole, the longest 3, and his sand-wedge second attempt succeeded only in falling into the nearby bunker before two-putting for a double-bogey.

The stress apparently gripped Thongchai after the setbacks but he held his nerve to bounce back with a birdie at the par-three 11th. He displayed more determination at the challenging 600-yard 14th hole where he claimed some breathing space at the top of the standings with a 14-foot birdie despite his second shot landing in the sand on the greenside.

However, Thongchai almost let the title slip through his grasp after two-putting for a double-bogey at the par-four 18th hole only to squeak to a one-shot victory.

He breathed a sign of relief after seeing the ball roll into the hole and did a wai for a large group of fans.

"I tried to hit a cut with the driver but pushed it left into the deep rough. I tried to get bogey but the second shot got into the bunker. Third shot into the rough again and I tried to go for a double bogey. Two putts for a win - it was okay," said Thongchai commenting on his play at the last hole.

He was delighted that his putting came at the best possible time to reclaim the title he won in 2003.

"I was very lucky. I tried my best. My driver and putting worked well this week. My putting was coming in and it was good. I made everything today. I just missed a few holes this week. It was very good," Thongchai said.

Despite seeing his faint hopes of a play-off all but ended when Thongchai holed his double-bogey putt, Filipino legend Minoza who at one stage tied for the lead said he was content with the result.

"This has been the best week of the year for me. I played well today and mounted a challenge before bogeying the 17th hole. I hit my approach there well but the greens are a little bit hard and it rolled into the bunker," said Minoza who blotted his card with three bogeys, the other two came at the 6th and 10th holes.

"Overall, it was the hole number six [230-yard par three] that killed me. I had a double bogey there on the first day and I bogeyed it in the third round and again today. But I'm happy with the way I played. I like this course - it suits my game."

Charlie Wi of Korea took third place after a 69 and a final total of 279.

Thaworn Wiratchant who caught Thongchai at the turn was understandably disappointed after seeing his challenge backfire with double late blows - a bogey at the par-four 15th hole and double-bogey at par-three 16th hole.

"Two bad shots ruined my chances today. Apart from them I played well. At the 15th hole I drove into the rough and was blocked a bit by a tree. I had 130 yards to carry the water and took an eight iron … I thought it would be okay. But I only hit the shot 40 per cent [clean] and it went into the water. I did well to drop only one shot."

"It was very difficult conditions today with hard greens and a strong wind. I am very happy with how I played apart from those two shots. It is not a good feeling to lose like that," bemoaned Thaworn who finished his round with one-over-par 73 for a total of eight-under-par 280, which gave him sole fourth place.

Despite failing to bring the curtain down on his tremendous year which saw him accede to the Asian Tour's throne with another trophy, Indian star Jeev Milkha Singh, who finished with an even-par for the third time to lie at a disappointing joint sixth with a total of six-under-par 282, was satisfied with his overall performance in the tournament and looked forward to a break.

"My holiday starts now. I'm happy. The way I ended up today. I didn't shoot over par. I didn't hit the ball well the whole week. So, I will take that," said Singh.

"I'm just going to relax and get some work done on my wrist and party hard! I haven't thought about rewarding myself after my wonderful year. I'm just looking forward to a break and taking it easy back home."

Source: The Nation - 18 December 2006

[Jai Dee]

Leading final round scores

277 - Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 68-68-69-72

278 - Frankie Minoza (PHI) 76-64-68-70

279 - Charlie Wi (KOR) 71-69-70-69

280 - Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 72-65-70-73

281 - Prom Meesawat (THA) 68-70-72-71

282 - Chawalit Plaphol (THA) 69-70-73-70, Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 72-66-72-72, Edward Loar (USA) 71-68-71-72, David Bransdon (AUS) 76-65-69-72

283 - Andrew Buckle (AUS) 71-70-71-71, S.S.P. Chowrasia (IND) 70-70-71-72, Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 67-72-68-76

285 - Anthony Kang (USA) 76-64-73-72, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 71-70-69-75

286 - Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 72-69-73-72

287 - Liang Wen-chong (CHN) 74-70-73-70, Iain Steel (MAS) 69-72-66-80

288 - Thammanoon Srirot (THA) 71-74-70-73

289 - Chris Rodgers (ENG) 69-73-74-73, Simon Yates (SCO) 72-71-72-74, Angelo Que (PHI) 72-71-70-76

290 - Rick Gibson (CAN) 72-75-71-72, Barry Hume (SCO) 74-71-71-74, Lee Sung (KOR) 69-70-74-77, Gary Rusnak (USA) 71-72-71-76, Lin Keng-chi (TPE) 68-73-71-78, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 68-75-69-78

291 - Jarrod Lyle (AUS) 73-73-75-70, Chinarat Phadungsil (THA) 71-70-78-72, Wang Ter-chang (TPE) 69-73-76-73, Adam Groom (AUS) 69-75-74-73, Kane Webber (AUS) 77-68-72-74, Jason Knutzon (USA) 71-70-74-76, Unho Park (AUS) 70-70-74-77, Yasin Ali (ENG) 72-69-71-79

[Jai Dee]

THONGCHAI TRIUMPHS IN VOLVO MASTERS OF ASIA

Bangkok, December 17: Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee survived a nervy double bogey finish to end a frustrating 22-month winless run by lifting the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia title on Sunday.

The two-time Asian Tour number one, the first double winner of the Volvo Masters of Asia after his triumph in 2003, carded a final round 72 for a one-stroke victory over Filipino legend Frankie Minoza at the magnificent Thai Country Club.

Minoza tied for the lead briefly at the halfway stage of an enthralling final day shootout before settling for a 70.

Charlie Wi of Korea took third place after a 69 in the US$650,000 event while Thai Thaworn Wiratchant's hopes dipped dramatically on the back nine after running up a bogey and double bogey on the 15th and 16th hole, finding water on both occasions, after battling hard for the lead with Thongchai.

Thongchai's popular home triumph extended his impressive streak of winning a title every year since 2000 and also tied Thaworn's record eight victories in Asia.

But he did it the hard way. With a three-shot cushion going into the last hole, the former paratrooper made a jittery finish, driving into thick rough on 18, finding a bunker before getting to the green side in four. Two putts later however, Thongchai was able to celebrate a first title of 2006, worth US$104,000.

"I feel very happy, I was very lucky this week," said Thongchai, whose victory moved him to second place on the final UBS Order of Merit with earnings of US$444,736. "It is good to win in Thailand. I feel great as I tried my best. My driver and putting worked this week. My putting was good coming in and I made everything. I just missed a few putts this week. It was very good."

Taking a two-shot lead into the final round, Thongchai, whose last victory in Asia was at the 2005 Malaysian Open, started superbly with three birdies over his opening four holes before making uncharacteristic errors by dropping three shots on the fifth and sixth holes.

He was caught by Thaworn and Minoza at the turn where the trio were tied on 11-under-par but Thongchai stepped up a gear by rattling home a 20-foot birdie on 11 to regain the lead. Another eight foot birdie conversion on the 14th established a three-shot advantage as his rivals stumbled down the stretch.

"I told myself to forget about it (the double bogey) and just played my own game and tried on the other holes to get birdie," said Thongchai. "I tried to hit a cut with the driver (on 18) but pushed it left into the deep rough. I tried to get bogey but the second shot ended in the bunker. My third shot got into the rough again and I said let's try to go for a double bogey. Two putts for a win, it was okay," he added.

Minoza, one of Asia's legends with multiple victories across the region including in Japan, got into the title mix with a superb outward 33 that included a hat-trick of birdies from the seventh hole. But a bogey on the 10th hole punctured his title hopes before another birdie on the 14th and a bogey on the 17th.

"This has been the best week of the year for me. I played well and mounted a challenge before bogeying the 17th hole. I hit my approach there well but the greens are a little bit hard and it rolled into the bunker. I could not get it up and down for par," said Minoza.

US-based Wi, who arrived in Bangkok early Thursday morning after competing in the Barbados World Cup last week, produced the day's best of 69 but he came up short in the end. After turning in one under, he reeled in three more birdies before a bogey on the par three 16, after missing the green, ended his challenge.

"I didn't know the course that well. If I had played a couple more times, I could have known it better. I was too far behind. I needed like five or six birdies on the back nine. The greens are so tough and it's so hard to get close to the hole. I played nice and I can't complain," said Wi, who regained his US PGA Tour card from Qualifying School earlier this month.

India's Jeev Milkha Singh wrapped up a marathon season by ending his 40th tournament of the year in tied sixth place on 282 after signing for a 72. With four titles around the globe in what has been a dream year in which he was crowned the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit champion, the Indian star is now looking forward to a well deserved break.

"My holiday starts now," smiled Singh, who accumulated a record US$591,884 on the Asian Tour. "I'm happy. The way I ended up today, I didn't shoot over par. I didn't hit the ball well the whole week. It's been a long season. It's been a dream year. I hope starting next year, things will get better but it'll be tough to repeat what I did this year.

"I'm just going to relax and get some work done on my wrist (injury) and party hard! I haven't thought about rewarding myself. I'm just looking forward to a break and take it easy back home and hang around with my friends and relax."

Source: Asian Tour - 18 December 2006