Samui, Thailand, June 14; Malaysia’s S. Sivachandhran plans to challenge for his first Asian Tour title at the Queen’s Cup starting on Thursday after establishing himself as one of the region’s rising stars.
Following a second victory on home soil last weekend on the Asian Development Tour, the region’s secondary circuit, the 32-year-old Malaysian is now eager to stamp his mark on the main Tour.
Sivachandhran will get his chance at the challenging Santiburi Samui Country Club where he faces a strong field which includes five of the top-10 players on the Asian Tour Order of Merit plus title holder Tetsuji Hiratsuka of Japan and local stars Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Pariya Junhasavasdikul and Chinnarat Phadungsil, winner of the Queen’s Cup in 2009.
“My next aim is to win on the Asian Tour and I don’t think I’m very far away,” said Siva Chandhran, who won the ADT Order of Merit last season and was victorious at the PGM Melaka Classic on Sunday.
“I know I have to keep working on some weaknesses in my game. At present, my iron play and putting are still not really up to mark. I’ve improved on my driving after putting a new driver in the bag but in big tournaments, putting is the one that makes the difference.”
Sivachandhran is making his third visit to the holiday island of Samui and while he has yet to savour a good finish, the slightly built Malaysian reckons the challenging course fits his game to a tee.
“I don’t have a good record there. I didn’t play in the tournament last year and in 2009, I missed the cut by one or two shots. However, I like the course very much. It fits my game as it requires more accuracy than anything else. You have to drive it well and I’m pretty good in that department,” said Siva Chandhran.
“My confidence level is also getting better. Playing on the ADT has been really good for my game. Although it’s the secondary tour in Asia, there is good competition and the events have the Asian Tour feel.
“I struggled earlier in the season on the Asian Tour but competing on the ADT gave me a chance to work at my game. I was missing putts early on which brought my confidence down but in the past few months, I’ve been making putts and the confidence has started to build up again.”
Sivachandhran’s rise has been steady. The son of a lorry driver, he made his mark in the Malaysian amateur team, winning the Southeast Asian Games and Putra Cup team gold medals before joining the paid ranks in 2006.
Bangladeshi Siddikur, currently ranked second on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, and local star Prayad Marksaeng, who has two top-three finishes in Samui, will also headline the US$300,000 event which is the eighth leg of this season’s Asian Tour schedule.
The Queen’s Cup is sponsored by Bangkok Airways, Sports Authority of Thailand, Santiburi Samui Country Club and co-sponsored by Bangkok Hospital Group, Airbus, BCLN, PTT, Samui Property Fund, Bangkok Bank, Thailand PGA, Bangkok Insurance, Sabre, Arecap and Hertz.
Media partners include The Nation, Bangkok Shuho, Elite magazine and True Vision. The official hotels for this year’s tournament include Santiburi Resort, Four Seasons Resort, Samui Palm Beach Resort, Chaba Resort, Amarin Victoria, KC Resort and Mercure Samui Buri Resort – www.asiantour.com
