Thongchai to concentrate on Euro Tour
THONGCHAI JAIDEE is taking up the cause of poor children.
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Thai star Thongchai Jaidee hopes to finish better than 54th in the European Order of Merit this year after making up his mind to again play on the European Tour.
Thongchai, 37, who turned professional in 1999, prefers the European Tour to the Asian Tour as he feels competing in bigger tournaments would boost his world rankings. "If I play in Asia, my rankings on the European Tour will not improve. The weather in Europe will be the main problem for me but I will do my best,'' said the two-time Asian Tour No 1 who was 54th in the European Tour Order of Merit last year. He will kick off his campaign in the £2.2 million Irish Open on May 18. He will then play the BMW Championship at the Wentworth Club on May 28 and the £1.5 million Wales Open on June 1. The Thai has cut down on his schedule and will play fewer than 20 events this year, most of which will be in Europe. After reigning on the Asian circuit in 2003-2004, Thongchai conceded his throne to compatriot Thaworn Wiratchant last year and has yet to win a title since the start of the season. He has entered seven Asian tournaments and managed to finish inside the top 10 only in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta and missed cuts in Okinawa, Singapore and Shanghai. Thongchai said he had been struggling with his putting from the start of the year, resulting in his inconsistent performance thus far. "I have been training almost every day with special emphasis on my putting ," Thongchai said. Meanwhile, the Thai No 1 golfer has started a project that supports poor children to play golf, which is considered a rich man's sport. Yesterday, Bangkok Airways signed up Thongchai and Double A Championship winner Chinnarat Padungsilp as their brand ambassadors. ML Nandhika Varavarn, senior vice president of the airlines, presided over the function. Alitta Tangrungruangkit The Nation
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