Ekpharit Starts Strong in Bt3.45 Million Thailand Mixed Stableford Challenge

After narrowly losing to CharngTai Sudsom in the Thailand Mixed Cup just three days ago at this very landscape, Ekpharit showcased his unwavering skill once again. Building upon his impressive performance, he capitalized on two outstanding eagles on the fourth and seventh holes, accompanied by six skillful birdies. Although a momentary setback occurred with a double bogey on the 16th hole, Wu managed to seize the lead with a commendable total of 19 points. 

Proceedings faced brief suspensions on two occasions in the afternoon due to the looming threat of lightning, but the organizers efficiently maintained the competition's schedule.

Reflecting on his performance, the 24-year-old player remarked, "I did a great job, hitting two eagles and six birdies. Too bad I made a mistake on the 16th that I shouldn't have."

Unlike the stroke-play format last week, Ekpharit expressed the need to amplify his offensive approach in order to seize opportunities over the next three days.

"In this type of format, every player is focused on scoring birdies and eagles. It's refreshing to be able to play this style of game for a change," added the Tha-Taiwanese golfer, whose most notable victory thus far came on the Thailand PGA Tour in Khon Kaen last September.

"I have identified a few areas that require improvement, particularly my serve. To accumulate points on challenging par-five holes and two short par-four holes, I must execute precise tee shots. I will adhere to my current game plan and strive to generate more eagles, as I only managed one last week," Ekpharit explained who received the esteemed Best of the Day award from Balance Golf Nutrition and Warmup Café. 

Trailing him closely, just two points behind, were Phannarai Meesom-us, who became the first female player to secure a spot among the top three in the on-going back-to-back Thailand Mixed series, and British golfer Jack Ainscough, both accumulating a total of 17 points.

Phannarai, who had previously finished as the runner-up in the Thailand Mixed at Lake View Resort and Golf Club in Cha-Am in October 2021, showcased her skill by recording an impressive nine birdies, with five of them achieved on the front nine, despite encountering a bogey on the 15th hole.

Ainscough, who had a successful collegiate career playing for Colorado State for three years, enjoyed a faultless round, managing to avoid any bogeys. He carded an eagle on the 5th hole along with six birdies throughout the day.

CharngTai, coming off a recent victory and crowned with his second career title on Sunday, demonstrated his continued good form by accumulating 15 points, trailing the leader by only four points.

The stableford format assigns points to players based on the number of strokes taken on each hole. Under this system, players earn points for birdies (2 per a birdie) and eagles (5 per eagle) , while bogeys (-1 per bogey) and double bogeys (-3 per double bogey or more) deduct points from their totals. The player with the highest points in the four-day tournament will walk away with the title.