Thai duo head strong Asian challenge at Volvo China Open
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Dynamic duo Thongchai Jaidee and Chapchai Nirat of Thailand are set to lead a powerful contingent of Asian players into next week's 2.5 million US dollars Volvo China Open at the Suzhou Jinji Lake International Golf Club.
The Volvo China Open is the second event on OneAsia's 2010 schedule and will see a strong Asian field go head-to-head with Europe's leading players from April 15-18.
US-based South Korean Yang Yong-eun, who became the first Asian to win a Major with victory in last year's PGA Championship, confirmed his participation last month.
Thongchai is a legend of the Asian game with three Order of Merit crowns and a record 12 Asian Tour titles to his name. Four of his victories came in joint-sanctioned events with the European Tour.
The 40-year-old is the first Thai to play in all four Majors and competed in the Masters at Augusta last week, after soaring into the top-50 in the world rankings with a string of good results including a quarter-final spot in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Thongchai, who finished 20th in last year's Volvo China Open the week before he triumphed in the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea, was crowned Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2009, the third time he had topped the moneylist in eight years.
The 26-year-old Chapchai, whose big-hitting style has seen Asian golf fans dub him "King Kong", has won three titles on the Asian circuit, including the European Tour joint-sanctioned TCL Classic in 2007.
He shot a four-under-par total at last year's Volvo China Open to finish eighth, four strokes behind winner Scott Strange of Australia.
"We are always delighted to see Thongchai's name on the entry sheet. Not only is he one of the top Asian golfers of all time, he is also a gentleman and a great ambassador for the game," said Per Ericsson, CEO and President of Volvo Event Management.
"Chapchai hits the ball unbelievable distances - at last year's Volvo China Open, we saw that he attracted bigger and bigger crowds as the week went on. Just like for John Daly, I'm sure that many come to see how far he can drive the ball. It's great that he's coming back."
Chinese superstar Liang Wenchong will compete in next week's China Open. The 31-year-old jumped to 80th spot on the world rankings last week after a dramatic play-off victory at OneAsia's Luxehills Chengdu Open.
Several other Asian Tour winners will also tee it up next week including Australians Scott Hend and Marcus Both, India's Jyoti Randhawa and Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who like his countryman Chapchai is renowned for his length of the tee, will be looking for his first win of the season after impressing with two top-four finishes.
"The Volvo China Open is one of the biggest and most significant events, not only on the 2010 OneAsia schedule, but across the globe," said Ben Sellenger, OneAsia's Chief Executive.
"It is thus fantastic to see players like Thongchai and Chapchai taking the step to play on our tournaments against Europe's leading players and we look forward to more players doing the same! This will be, without question, the strongest field ever assembled for this event."
"As part of the strong ongoing partnership between OneAsia, European Tour, and China Golf Association, we are working tirelessly to ensure the national Open of China goes from strength to strength, and the depth of field in 2010 is a great indicator that we are headed in the right direction."
Since it was launched last year, OneAsia's tournament schedule has more than doubled in size, offering players maximized playing opportunities in an effort to assist in their individual development and retain their talent within Asia Pacific.
The total purse for 2010 is 13 million US dollars.
