Kota Kinabalu: Thailand’s Kwanchai Tannin competes in the season-ending Sabah Masters having already wrapped up the ASEAN PGA Tour Order of Merit title but able to achieve further glory by becoming the first man to win three times in a season.
The young golfer once dubbed the new Boonchu Ruangkit, one of Thailand’s most revered golfers, triumphed in the Singha Pattaya Open and the PGM-ASEAN PGA Negeri Sembilan Masters last year and starts as one of the favourites when the tournament tees-off tomorrow at Sutera Harbour Golf & Country Club on Wednesday.
“I had a good break and I am feeling fresh,” said Kwanchai, who is the nephew of reigning Thailand Open champion Prayad Marksaeng. “It is important for me to build on what I did last year and go on and improve.”
The 27 year old leads the Merit list with unassailable earnings of US$34,426, which is already a Tour record. If he were to claim this week’s winners’ cheque of US$12,918 he would set an impressive benchmark that his peers would be pushed to surpass.
In 2013, he was also fourth in the Luang Prabang Laos Open and third in the Singha Chiangmai Open.
He added: “My game has got better over the past few years. It was difficult when I first turned professional and it took time to get things correct. My confidence is now very good.”
He turned professional in 2006 and recorded his maiden win on the ASEAN PGA Tour in the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia.
The Thai star will become the third player from his country to win the Merit list after Namchok Tantipokhakul in 2009 and Wisut Artjanawat in 2011.
Kwanchai tees-off in the first round with hot favourite and local hero Nicholas Fung as well as Danny Chia, the Malaysian making his comeback from injury after a hiatus of over six months.
The tournament also features defending champion Antonio Lascuna from the Philippines, Singaporean number one Mardan Mamat, beaten in a play-off last year, and Wisut, the winner in 2011.
Legendary Filipino Frankie Minoza will also take part as well as Malaysians Ben Leong and Airil Rizman, Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang and Koh Dengshan, and Filipinos Mars Pucay and Artemio Murakami.
