Aphibarnrat and Jaidee ready to go in Thailand

The home players will be looking for success in the True Thailand Classic

Aphibarnrat and Jaidee
Aphibarnrat and Jaidee
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The European Tour heads back to Asia this week for the True Thailand Classic. Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee will be looking to secure victory on home soil.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat will be looking to use the True Thailand Classic at Black Mountain GC in Hua Hin as a springboard for his season. The home player has been struggling after suffering a neck injury in the EURASIA Cup but is now back to full fitness. Aphibarnrat played last week in the WGC-Cadillac Championship where he showed good form until a poor final round of 79.

Other players making the journey from Doral to Hua Hin include Kristoffer Broberg of Sweden and Australians Nathan Holman and Scott Hend.

Thongchai Jaidee was unable to play last week in Miami because of illness, but he returns to action for this event, eager to add to his seven European Tour titles. Aphibarnrat and Jaidee will be among the favourites this week, but other big names on the start sheet include Thomas Pieters, Joost Luiten, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Mikko Ilonen.

Miguel Angel Jimenez warm-up routine:

This will be just the second running of the True Thailand Classic which is presented this year by drinks company Chang.

In last year’s inaugural event, Andrew Dodt completed a surprise one-stroke victory over fellow Australian Scott Hend and home player Thongchai Jaidee.

Dodt won on the European Tour in India back in 2010, but had not recorded a top-10 finish on the circuit since then. He came through qualifying school last November to regain his playing rights.

The weather forecast looks pretty much set fair for the week and it will be consistently hot with temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius.

Venue: Black Mountain GC, Hua Hin, Thailand Date: Mar 10-13 Course stats: par 72, 7,346 yards Purse: €1,500,000 Defending Champion: Andrew Dodt (-16)

TV Coverage: Thursday 10 – Sky Sports 4 from 8am Friday 11 – Sky Sports 4 from 8am Saturday 12 – Sky Sports 4 from 6am Sunday 13 – Sky Sports 4 from 5.30am

Player watch:

Peter Uihlein – The talented American is on excellent form at the moment. He followed a tied ninth finish in Malaysia with a tied fourth in the ISPS HANDA Perth International.

Pablo Larrazabal – The Spaniard hasn’t missed a cut on the European Tour since last October and he was tied sixth on his last outing in Malaysia.

Julien Quesne – Another man on form, Quesne was tied fourth in Malaysia and tied ninth in Perth.

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Key hole: 17th. Although it can stretch to 361 yards, we might see the tee pushed up allowing players to have a shy at the green. If they do go for it, they’ll have to carry a water hazard. It’s a great risk/reward hole that will yield plenty of birdies.

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?