Kiradech keen to find major success after stellar Asian Tour career
>> From the moment he hit the golf scene, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat has made heads turn and hearts leap with his inimitable go-for-broke style of play on the Asian Tour.
Long-hitting Kiradech, one of the region’s most talented and exciting young golfers, is part of a new generation of Asian stars who have already reigned on the Asian Tour and now competing on a weekly basis against the planet’s best players.
Kiradech began life on the Asian Tour in 2009, following a stellar amateur career where he was world junior champion, and have since won the Asian Tour Order of Merit crown and two other victories.
His career breakthrough was achieved in the 2011 SAIL Open in India, and since then, he has defeated numerous star players including major winners Charl Schwartzel and Padraig Harrington.
In addition, Kiradech is the second player from Thailand to record multiple European Tour wins.
The affable Thai, who is a lover a fast cars, sped to the top of Asia’s golfing pinnacle in 2013 when he became the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, thanks to an outstanding victory at the Malaysian Open and five other top-five finishes.
He became the second golfer on Tour to earn over US$1 million in a single season.
“The Asian Tour means a lot to me. It’s like the first school, the first Tour that I played on. I made a lot of friends and it was the first step to get the second and third steps in my career,” said Kiradech.
“Without the Asian Tour, I can’t imagine what it would be. I’m not a big fan of studying or learning so I think I could have been a gangster!”
He is very clear as to how the Asian Tour has played a big role in his rise in golf and fully appreciates the opportunities that were presented to him.
“The Asian Tour has taught me patience, taught me to focus and then you will be able to achieve your target,” he said.
“The Tour has given me a family, friends and my life. Golf means everything to me. The Asian Tour means everything to me. Every big part of my life, the Asian Tour has played a part in it.”
With him achieving a win on European soil after he claimed the Paul Lawrie Match Play title in Scotland in 2015, Kiradech hopes to scale new golfing heights where his ultimate goal is to lift a major title.
“The next step that I hope to achieve is to be the next Asian player to win a major. When you win a major, I can be proud to say that I’m Asian. You know, I’m from a small country in Asia and starting out from the Asian Tour and winning one of the biggest golf events in the world would be fantastic,” said Kiradech.