Thongchai ready to strike at Maybank Championship M’sia

KUALA LUMPUR: Thailand’s ace Thongchai Jaidee believes his best years are still ahead of him as he takes aim at the inaugural US$3 million (RM4.12 million) Maybank Championship Malaysia which starts on Thursday at the Royal Selangor Golf Club here.

The 46-year-old who is currently ranked 33rd in the world, has made it clear he intends to hoist this week’s trophy despite the presence of 10 other world’s top players.

“I’m not worried about my age. My age is not that important. I always look ahead and I always try to win as many tournaments as I can. I like golf. My life is golf.

“Without golf, my life is nothing. If I lose or win, it doesn’t matter because I always enjoy playing golf,” Thongchai told reporters at tournament’s media session here yesterday.

Thongchai, the only player to win three Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, said he is still focused on winning golf tournaments and qualifying for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

“It is my dream to play in the Olympics. I think this is a good time for me to play. If I can play in the Olympics it will be very good for my career and for my country,” he added.

After shooting eight birdies in the pro-am at Royal Selangor yesterday, Thongchai is confident he can shoot low numbers when the tournament starts.

“I’m very excited to see the golf course. It is in fantastic shape. It is an old golf course with a lot of big trees and you have to keep the ball in play. It is nice to be playing in a new event. There are a lot of strong players this week and it feels nice to be here,” said Thongchai. – Bernama