Poom Lights Up Future
Sentosa, Singapore, October 10: The future on the Asian Tour is bright and that assessment could not have come at a better time with Thailand’s Poom Saksansin breakthrough at the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by Zurich over the weekend.
The 23-year-old’s comfortable five-shot victory along with the tied-second finishes of his fellow teenage compatriots, Phachara Khongwatmai and Suradit Yongcharoenchai reinforced the abundance of young talent on the Asian Tour.
Starting out at a young age of 10, Poom’s golfing journey is one of dedication and hard work.
Age is no barrier to success and the Thai has proven that with his win which has been hailed by many.
“I know we are all still young but I just want to play golf. My win today proves that if you be yourself and play your own game, you can be successful,” said Poom in his victory speech.
While Poom’s talent in golf was spotted early, the unwavering support of his parents was also one of the most important factors that led to his success.
“I started playing golf when I was 10 years old with my father. I started playing well and I was roped into the national team.
“After that, I turned professional and my parents have been very supportive of my career ever since,” said the Thai.
Poom’s win saw him make the biggest move on the Order of Merit as his winner’s prize purse of US$135,000 surged him to 21st place from his previous week’s 101st place.
Like Poom, Suradit also enjoyed a memorable outing at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club and reveled in delight as he got a chance to tee off alongside his boyhood idol, Thongchai Jaidee and Australia’s Marcus Fraser, who is second on the Order of Merit on the final day.
“This is my first time playing on this course so I am happy with my result. The conditions were much better today and I enjoyed playing with Thongchai and Marcus today.
“Thongchai is our Thai legend. He is one of the players I look up to growing up. It was an honour to play with him today. It has been a great week,” said Suradit.
Thongchai was pleased with the younger generation of Thai golfers making significant headway on the Asian Tour and believes many will become household names if they play to their true potential.
“We have a very good generation of golfers coming from Thailand and Asia. Poom played so well this week. I’m so happy to see so many good players coming from my country. I know the Thai boys are playing well at the moment so good for them.
“Yes, I’m very proud because they all look up to me. Now I see so many young golfers coming and even more players will break through the ranks soon. In the future, you will see more Thai players on the Asian Tour,” said the three-time Order of Merit champion.
Meanwhile Phachara’s third top-five finish in his last three starts has propelled him into 13th place on the money list, giving him a chance to qualify for the lucrative US$7 million CIMB Classic in Malaysia and the US$9.5 million WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai this month.
“This week I play good, I think I have a chance to qualify for the CIMB Classic. But if I don’t finish inside the top-10 on the Order of Merit after next week, it is okay because I saved my Asian Tour card and I’ve been playing so well,” said Phachara
The Asian Tour heads to Macao this week for the US$1.1 million Venetian Macao Open which will see the return of Australia merit leader Scott Hend in action.
The leading 10 players after Macao will qualify for the US$7 million CIMB Classic while the leading four not otherwise exempt will qualify for the US$9.5 million WGC-HSBC Champions.
Asian Tour Order of Merit – Top-20
Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)
1. Scott HEND (AUS) $763,252.66
2. Marcus FRASER (AUS) $673,663.16
3. Jeunghun WANG (KOR) $484,386.27
4. CHAN Shih-chang (TPE) $466,600.97
5. Miguel TABUENA (PHI) $458,418.79
6. Soomin LEE (KOR) $348,724.68
7. S.S.P. CHAWRASIA (IND) $316,017.78
8. Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $292,849.10
9. Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) $274,212.86
10. Younghan SONG (KOR) $272,757.01
11. LU Wei-chih (TPE) $217,416.38
12. Piya SWANGARUNPORN (THA) $204,405.00
13. Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA) $200,471.44
14. Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $187,142.66
15. Shaun NORRIS (RSA) $176,621.32
16. K.T. KIM (KOR) $169,233.68
17. Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) $168,880.87
18. Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA) $165,052.50
19. Anirban LAHIRI (IND) $159,707.75
20. Rahil GANGJEE (IND) $157,484.10
