The seven-member squad, which consists of four boys and three girls, are all new faces in the continental sporting event.

The flamboyant Anujit Hirunrattanakorn and Nakarintra Ratanakul are the only ones with experience of playing in multi-nation events such as the SEA Games last year.

Despite the relative inexperience of his team, Royal Thai Navy Captain Siwasit Sawangwong claimed that this was the best side he had ever assembled, in his view guaranteeing a medal in Qatar.

"Junior golfers in Thailand are very talented and in this continent, we are one of the toughest countries. Our key player Anujit, for example, is good enough to join the Asian Tour and might do even better than Chinarat Phadungsil. He is a big boy and can drive very long,'' said national team manager Siwasit.

 Anujit, Siwasit said, needed to work on his mental toughness to succeed at a higher level.

That explains why the 17-year-old, a student of Regent International School, failed to show his true potential in the Philippines, finishing inside the top 10 in the individual and fourth in the team events.

"I was given very short notice to play in Manila and I didn't have much time to prepare. But I have been training for Doha for a long time. I'm quite confident of my chances in the individual event,'' said Anujit, who has practised alongside Chinarat and the Kingdom's No-1 pro, Thongchai Jaidee.

The teenager has plenty of reasons to be positive about his chances in the Gulf. He was among the top-10 finishers in both the individual and team events in the World Team 2005 competition in Japan.

Anujit's main rivals in the individual category will be India's Chirak Kumar, and two Japanese - Yuki Ito and Yuta Ikeda. While Siwasit picks Kumar as a tough cookie, Anujit regards Ito and Ikeda as the biggest threats."I saw Kumar play and win in Malaysia and I believe he will be a very dangerous player. He beat Anujit by two strokes,'' said Siwasit.

Anujit has a different take. "Kumar is not very consistent. I'm more afraid of Ito and Yuta. They have played together for a long time and are very consistent. I have beaten Yuta once before and am 1-1 against Yuki,'' said Anujit, who wants to turn pro after the Doha Games. "My dream is to finish my amateur career on a high note. I really want to have good results in the Asian Games,'' he added.

Apart from Anujit, Nakarintra, Pravit Tangkamolprasert and newcomer Varun Isarapakdee are the other members of the men's team. The women's side features 14-year-old Sukkarin Saensaradee and fellow-teens Patcharajutha Kongkraphan and Chabongkoj Premchuen.

"Although our main hopes are on Anujit, Nakarintra and Pravit can be dark horses. Among the girls, Sukkarin is very young but she can drive as long as 250 yards,'' the team manager said.

One thing that concerns Siwasit is the desert landscape of the Doha course, which might provide a daunting challenge for his team. "They have been to the United States and England but never to a desert country. I've heard it will be very windy and a bit cool there. Therefore, it depends on how they can adapt to the conditions." 

Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

The Nation