Thai ace aims to be a role model for youth
Thai legend Thongchai Jaidee’s holein-one on the par-three 16th hole in the final round of the Malaysian Open at Saujana Golf and Country Club in 2004 is one of the greatest shots hit in the history of the Asian Tour.
And it helped launch the career of one of Asia’s greatest golfers.
The Thai had already triumphed five times on the Asian Tour before his victory in Malaysia but as the event was jointly-sanctioned with the European Tour it thrust him into the global spotlight for the first time.
The two shots he gained with that ace helped him secure a two-stroke win over Australian Brad Kennedy and it opened the door for him to access the top tier of tournaments in the game.
“I felt very proud when I won, every golfer needs to experience this,” said Thongchai, in a recent interview with the Asian Tour.
“If you win it will change your life. It changed my life.”
It meant he became the first player from Thailand and the seventh Asian to win on the European Tour.
“It was the biggest moment in my life. After that tournament I started being recognised as an Asian Tour golfer instead of merely a Thai golfer. Now I had opportunities to play in Europe, not just Asia,” he said.
“It changed my life and I had to improve myself. And I had to work harder than ever before because the competition was tougher.”
The following year he successfully defended his Malaysian Open title but it would be some time before he emulated his success in Asia and in Europe.
He admitted the weather in Europe was one of the biggest obstacles he had to overcome and that it took him two or three years to adjust.
In fact, it was eight years after his first win in Malaysia that he tasted success in Europe — at the Wales Open in 2012.
And it was clearly a taste he enjoyed and savoured as he went on to win the Nordea Masters in Sweden in 2014, the European Open in Germany in 2015 and the Open de France in 2016.
Thongchai, who turns 51 next month, has always been quick to credit his military background (he was a paratrooper in the Thai army) for his success in the game.
He said: “I used to be in the army and that helped me a lot. It taught me patience, discipline and strength. As a soldier I had to train very hard. So I took that mentality and translated it into my golf practice. It has made me a successful golfer.”
He also acknowledged it was not easy for him early on when he first started to think of making a living from the game.
“I never thought I would find a career in golf. At the beginning I was just a normal golfer. Back then playing professional golf was difficult,” he added.
But his early concerns are now a very distant memory for a player who has claimed an unprecedented three Asian Tour Order of Merit titles, 13 Asian Tour victories and eight European Tour wins.
“I want to set an example for the next generation,” said Thongchai, who has won eight European Tour titles.
“In the future I really want to see the young Thai and Asian players perform better than Thongchai Jaidee. I want them to see that I started from nothing but I managed to get where I am today. I want to be their role model.”