THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Teenage rising star Pachara ready to show his worth in Mauritius Open

Teenage rising star Pachara ready to show his worth in Mauritius Open

Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai will have a point to prove when he makes his second appearance at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open which starts on Thursday.

The 18-year-old qualified for Team Asia in the 2018 EurAsia Cup and he hopes to show his worth by contending for the title at the €1million (approximately US$1.07 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Phachara will be among a star-studded cast on the holiday-isle of Mauritius which includes Major champion Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, George Coetzee of South Africa, who won the inaugural event in 2015 and reigning Asian Tour number one Scott Hend of Australia.

Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, who agonisingly missed out on victory last year, will also feature in the event alongside Shiv Kapur of India, the only player to win multiple titles on the Asian Tour this year, and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa at the Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resort.

Phachara, currently ranked fifth on the Order of Merit, has enjoyed a solid year but he is still chasing the elusive first win on the Asian Tour. After finishing runner-up twice in 2017, the young Thai hopes to finally go one spot better at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

Siddikur, who is a two-time Asian Tour winner, hopes to recover from a back injury as he has unfinished business in the event. The Bangladeshi was leading the tournament heading into the final three holes before a double bogey on 16 and a bogey on 17 dashed his title hopes.

S.S.P. Chawrasia will make his debut in the event after finishing seventh in Hong Kong last week after leading in the opening three rounds. It will be an important week for the Indian as he aims to chase down Merit leader Gavin Green of Malaysia, who he trails by slightly more than US$140,000.

 

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