Edfors Leads Star Players in Thongchai Jaidee Foundation

The 41-year-old Swede who is based here at the beach resort is one of the star players committed to play in the Asian Development Tour event which also features several local hopes Thanyakorn Krongpha, Chawalit Phlapol, Chapchai Nirat and Arnond Vongvanich. Defending champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat is not confident if he will be fit to play due to a recurrent back injury.

“It will be a nice way to finish off the year playing in a tournament in my hometown,” said Edfors who won an Asian Tour event at this home course in 2009.

 

The field will consists of 24 invite spots, which includes the man himself, while the remaining 120 spots will be split equally between the ADT and the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Thongchai, who won the 100^th Open de France in July and finished tied-15th at the recently-concluded Olympic Games, is the second player following fellow Thai golf great Boonchu Ruangkit to host his own tournament on the secondary circuit of the Asian Tour.

 

“The ADT has grown immensely over the years. It has been a great platform for budding golfers to gain playing experiences and hone their skills before moving on to the bigger stage. The Tour has also produced a handful of upcoming young players who are just waiting to burst onto the scene.

 

 “We have enjoyed a successful event last year where Kiradech (Aphibarnrat) won. I am sure the field will be very competitive again and we can look forward to some world-class action from the rising stars of the game this December,” said the 46-year-old Thai.

Besides aiming to create more playing opportunities and unearth more talents, Thongchai also hopes to draw attention to his Thongchai Jaidee Foundation through the staging of this event.

The decorated Thai star had launched his foundation in 2009 to help the under-privileged golfers in his hometown of Lopburi. The foundation not only supports professional golf for men but also women professional golf in Thailand through the Thai LPGA.

“At the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation, we helped raised kids by giving scholarships, golf lessons and accommodation. The aim is to provide them with the knowledge of the game which could probably earn them a living one day.

“We received an official letter from Thailand Ministry of Finance recently to certify that the foundation has been exempted from tax thanks to our contributions to the society over the years. It was a great milestone for us,” added Thongchai.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

The top-five finishers on the final Order of Merit will secure their Asian Tour cards for 2017.

A Mazda EW CX-5 XD worth BT1.5 Million will be awarded to the first player who hits a hole in one on the par 3 hole 14 while BT100,000 reward will go to the last player who shots an eagle.

Truevions will beam live coverage on Saturday and Sunday from 3pm onwards.  A golf clinic will be conducted for young kids at the Black Mountain course at 4pm on Saturday.