Jazz looks to end season on a high
Thai seeks his fourth title of year in Pattaya
PATTAYA: Fresh from winning the Indonesian Masters, Jazz Janewattananond will be aiming for back-to-back titles when he tees up at the Thailand Masters, which starts today.
The 24-year-old Thai secured his third Asian Tour title of the year in Jakarta on Sunday after beating compatriot Gunn Charoenkul, who is also in the field this week.
Jazz has enjoyed a sensational season as he kicked started the year with a win in Singapore followed by two more victories in South Korea and Indonesia.
He deservedly sealed the Order of Merit crown as he could not be caught on the money list even with three events left to play at the start of this month.
World No.45 Jazz is the fourth Thai after Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and Kiradech Aphibarnrat to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
The US$500,000 Thailand Masters is promoted by Thongchai Jaidee Foundation.
Just like how he started the year, Jazz is looking for one last hurrah in the season finale at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club before he takes a break.
Thanks to the win in Jakarta, Jazz broke into the world’s top-50 and the $2million mark in career earnings on the Asian Tour.
He also paid tribute to Thongchai, one of Thailand’s greatest gofers of alltime, for playing an instrumental role in his success.
“It was an honour to win the flagship event [the Indonesian Masters] on the Asian Tour. It has been a very good year and this will be my last event for 2019,” Jazz said.
“Thongchai has helped many Thai golfers to get to where they are now. He has singlehandedly placed Thailand on the world golf map and that has been a great inspiration not only for me but also for other Thai golfers.
“It’s reassuring for us as whenever we go out there to compete, we know that someone like Thongchai has already done that and we can also do it. Now that I’ve broken into the top-50 in the world, I want to break into the top-40. It’s going to get harder but I just want to set realistic goals for myself.”
Gunn believes a switch in his outlook towards his game and life has led to a very consistent year for him as he looks towards closing his season on a high note.
Other notable players in the field include Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Australia’s Scott Hend, American John Catlin, Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, India’s Shiv Kapur and Malaysia’s Gavin Green.
Gunn said: “I just want to have some fun again this week. I’m more relaxed now as I don’t really like to put so much pressure on myself nowadays. There have been a lot of factors that led to me changing my mindset nowadays.
“There’s [Malaysian golfer] Arie [Irawan] who passed away in April and my baby girl who’s coming in February. They have given me a new perspective in life and taught me to be more patient. I’ve to be appreciative of where I am right now. Many people would like to be in my shoes and I should be very grateful of the position I’m in now.
“Playing against Jazz last week in Indonesia, I now know where I need to improve on and get to the same level as he is right now.”
Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who is one of the invited star players for this week, is also seeking a grandstand finish after missing out on his chance to win in two of his last three events.
“It’s nice to be here in Thailand especially when the weather is absolutely horrible at home,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to playing more good golf this week. I feel like I’m improving and getting better all the time. It’s definitely great to finish the year on a high note.”