Thongchai Jaidee will have to overcome the lingering effects of a virus if he is to go one better than last year in this week’s True Thailand Classic presented by Chang.
The 46 year old was forced to skip the WGC-Cadillac Championship because of an illness that necessitated three days of hospital treatment, but he is nearing full fitness again at Black Mountain Golf Club near Hua Hin and set on improving on the tied runner-up finish he produced 12 months ago.
Australian Andrew Dodt was the man who went one shot better to win the inaugural edition of the US$1.75million event, but, like Jaidee, he must also see off a bug that has so far hampered his preparations.
The home charge is bolstered by Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who made the long trip from Florida to Thailand at the start of the week, and Prom Meesawat, while Belgian Thomas Pieters, Scotland’s Marc Warren and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez also feature in a strong field.
Seven players – Pelle Edberg, Johan Edfors, Barry Henson, Jaidee, Jazz Janewattananond, Rikard Karlberg and Meesawat – have the added advantage of being attached to Black Mountain Golf Club and use it as their winter training base.
Thongchai Jaidee
“I want to get my feeling back. Last week I rested and started to practise. Hopefully I feel better. I think I’m 70 or 80% now, but I want to be 100%. It’s bad when you get sick. Last year I had a good chance to win but unfortunately I wasn’t good enough with the putting. I know the field his quite strong and I’ll try my best. I played nine holes on Monday and Tuesday and 18 holes today. I’m practising well, hitting it well and putting well.
“In golf, anything can happen. Some guy can hit top form and beat the field. Every week, I play my own game and play the golf course. You have to have a perfect week to win. If someone shoots a low score, you can’t do anything. Anyone can win a tournament here.”
Andrew Dodt
“There are a lot of good memories. I remember almost every shot and a lot of them were really good. It’s nice to come back to somewhere that you’ve played well before. Twenty-four hours ago I wasn’t very good. I’ve improved slightly. This morning was a test, to see if I could get through the pro-am. I’m not feeling the greatest but you know what they say about beware of the sick golfer. I hope to use that to my advantage.”
Kiradech Aphibarnrat
“I’ve got a lot of air miles! I’m a bit tired and still have jetlag, but it’s great to be back playing in your home country and in front of your fans, family and especially my wife who will come this week. I think she’ll come on Sunday as she knows about the prize money and she’ll come to collect the money! It’s an honour to come back to Black Mountain as I’ve played so well on this course.
“Over here, you need good drives. If you hit good drives, you can make low scores and birdies. Some holes are quite narrow. But when you have the length, it’s a wedge into the greens. If you have short irons in, you have opportunities to have birdies.”
