Kiradech eyes some respite at FedEx Cup
‘Half fit’ Thai eager to put on a better show
JERSEY CITY: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is thrilled he is featuring in his first FedEx Cup play-offs this week. He only wished he was fully fit.
The 30-year-old qualified for the US$9.25 million Northern Trust, the first of three play-offs events starting today, after finishing in 76th position on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup points list.
However, the joy of being amongst the best 125 PGA Tour golfers at Liberty National Golf Club has been somewhat dampened by a lingering knee injury which he sustained in April.
“It’s been a frustrating season,” Kiradech admitted yesterday.
“At the halfway point, I was in the 40s on the FedEx Cup points list and looking at getting into the Tour Championship. The knee injury slowed me down. Initially, I didn’t think it was a big issue but it kept getting worse. My practice has been cut down by more than 50 percent as I’m trying to save myself for tournament play.”
Big-hitting Kiradech, the first Thai to hold a PGA Tour card, needs to break into the top-70 of the points list to advance into next week’s BMW Championship.
The best 30 will then tee up in the play-offs finale, the Tour Championship, where a new FedEx Cup champion will be crowned and walk away with a cool $15 million bonus.
“I’ll take it one shot at a time. The goal is to get into next week. Top-30 may be difficult. Even if I was fully fit, it’s not easy against the best players, what more being just half fit. However, I like the way I’m swinging the club but there is a limit when your body is not fit,” said Kiradech.
He will take a short break from the game to rest his right knee in which he suffered a 20 percent tear in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Kiradech plans to return during the PGA Tour’s Asian swing in October, comprising of the CJ Cup in South Korea, inaugural ZOZO Championship in Japan and World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China.
The longer-term goal, though, is for him to shed some 10kg in weight and get his knee stronger through gym work.
“If I can get down to 100kg, it should put less pressure on the knee but I’m not sure how it will affect the golf swing,” said Kiradech, who has three top-five finishes this season.
“Right now, when I keep playing, the knee starts to hurt and swell up slightly. I’ve got to limit myself.
“I can’t squat to read the putting lines too much. The doctor has suggested a six- to eight-week break but I have no chance to stop as it’s my first season on the PGA Tour.
“I’m undergoing various treatments including acupuncture, soft-tissue treatment and chiropractic treatment and it’s helped a little bit.”
With two weeks remaining before the top-eight players for both the United States and International Teams are finalised for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia in December, Kiradech also faces an uphill task to make his debut appearance under captain Ernie Els after slipping down into 20th position.
“There are no excuses. I don’t think I’m good enough at this time,” he said.