In-form Jakraphan primed for Taifong
CHANGHWA: Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn seeks to continue his resurgence as he chases for a long-awaited second Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory at the US$160,000 (RM686,000) Taifong Open which starts tomorrow.
The 26-year-old Jakraphan, who claimed his maiden ADT win in his rookie year in 2013, will spearhead an elite 150-man field from 18 countries at the highlyacclaimed Taifong Golf Course.
Jakraphan will feature in the fourth edition of the Taifong Open, hailed as the richest event on the schedule, alongside ADT Order of Merit leader Brett Munson of the United States, as well as Martin Dive of Australia and Malaysia’s Ben Leong, placed second and fourth respectively.
Jakraphan has not missed a single cut in five starts on the region’s secondary circuit so far this season.
He sits in fifth place on the Order of Merit with a current haul of US$8,085, thanks largely to a runner-up finish in Malaysia in February.
The talented Thai claimed his maiden victory on the All Thailand Golf Tour a fortnight ago before marking his best ever finish on the Asian Tour with a tied-15th place result at the Queen’s Cup last week.
“The game is feeling very good at the moment. I won on my domestic circuit two weeks ago and played well at the Queen’s Cup last week. I am feeling very confident now,” said Jakraphan.
He credited his return to form to a new coach who helped him with his swing and the hard work that he had put in for his short game.
Jakraphan finished in tied24th position at the inaugural Taifong Open three years ago. He did not play in the last two editions.
China’s upcoming talent Liu Yanwei is eager to make his debut at the Taifong Open, which is also his first tournament in Taiwan since turning professional in 2015.
“It’s my first time here. I have heard that the golf courses in Taiwan are very challenging because of the wind. I finally experienced it for myself today. The fairways are pretty narrow and it’s very hilly out there. Course management will be key.”