Kammalas Among Four Leaders at 5th Thailand Mixed in Lumphun 

With his opening 67, the 30-year-old, a member of the Thailand’s winning team in the 2017 Games in Kuala Lumpur, carded seven birdies, six on the back, against a double bogey on the first hole to share the lead alongside Thai-Taiwanese Ekpharit Wu, teenage Sirapop Yapala and Waris Manthon at the par 72 6,929-yard landscape for the men and 6,314 for the women.

“I hit six-under on the back (started on the 10th). I played almost perfectly, hitting 17 greens with only one double on the first hole. But I’m prepared for some tough conditions as there are ponds here and there on this course,” said Kamalas who is based in Bangkok. 

“But I really like to praise the course staff here for their amazing work. On Monday, the course was soaked with water due to some heavy rain,  but today it sets up in a great condition,” added Kamalas, a one-time winner on the All Thailand Golf Tour in Nakhon Nayok back in 2018.

“I have a good start this week, and I intend to keep it that way. I will focus on hole by hole, play one shot at a time. I’m not competing against anyone as we have a bunch of good players out there. I’m my own enemy,” he said.

Ekpharit, 23 from Rayong, enjoyed an unblemished back-nine play which featured four birdies before he committed an error on the third hole, then recovering to shoot two straight birdies on the sixth and seventh to share the lead.

“I’m quite pleased with my iron. I hit most of the fairways. The bad thing is I missed a few three-foot putts. But overall, I’m quite happy with my game. I just need to fix on a few things before the second round,” said Ekpharit who posted eight top 20 finishes on the All Thailand Golf Tour events this season. His best run in a professional tour was a runner-up position in the Thai PGA Tour at the Royal Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Nakon Nayok two months ago.
Former national team’s player, 17-year-old Siripob  from Chiang Mai also hit six birdies with only one bogey on his scorecard. 

“I hit 17 greens in regulation, missing only one on the 12th. However, my putter let me down a bit. I feel like I have my momentum back again after being far from impressive in the Thailand Open,” said Sirapob 
“I will try to serve well and hit he fairways like I did today. I also have to make more putts in order to stay in contention this week,” the teenager said.

Amarin Kraivixien, who finished runner-up in the previous Thailand Mixed  in Bangkok, hit an ace on the fifth hole and was leading at six-under heading to the 18th. Unfortunately, an ending double bogey saw him finish with a 68 along with Woradech Jangphan and Chommapat Pongthanrak, the only female in the top five.

The Thailand Mixed is organised by TrustGolf, an indoor training center with advanced technology. It is supported by the Sports Authority of Thailand, the National Sports Development Fund, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Bangkok Bank, B.Grimm Company, Bond Holdings, AISPLAY, Bridgestone, Trust Pharmacy, Trust Live Streaming, Adidas Golf,  Balance Golf Nutrition, Leborn, LMV, Longa, the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration and Gatsson Legacy Golf Club in Lamphun.