Smiles
October 2nd, 2006, 23:30
Thai golfer Thongchai Jaidee tied for 9th at the American Express Championship held in England this weekend.
Naturally the cameras never fell on him ('They Fall on Tiger') but he ended up with the best round of the day (a 65) and a prize of $150,000. The field for this tournament was very strong, and in the end Tiger took it in a cakewalk, winning his 6th straight PGA tournament, for a total of 8 this year. He strode out of there with a cool 1.3 mill.
Thongchai has not played in the US or Europe much (he crashed out of the Masters last spring), but he has been very successful on the Asian Tour over the years. Maybe this big tournament will lead him towards greater golf and bigger Baht.
http://www.photodump.com/direct/sawatdee/golf.jpg
A little blurb I found on the web written by a non-Thai journalist living in Bangkok:
" ... So you've got this dark little wiry dude with ears that stick out, born to a poor family in Lopburi, an old city north of Bangkok where hundreds of mangy-looking monkeys hang out near the train station, hoping to snatch a bite of food from an unsuspecting tourist. He grows up in a house without a kitchen, flush toilet or shower. Like many Thai boys, he dreams of being a soccer star, but instead gravitates to golf. He learns to swing with a homemade club he fashions out of a bamboo branch. Then at 19, he joins the Royal Thai Army and remains there for 11 years. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot for the Thai army to do back then, so Thongchai is allowed to spend time working on his golf game. He emerges from the Army at 30, turns pro, and within a few years he's winning tournaments on both the Asian and European tours.
Thongchai is now one of the three biggest sports figures in Thailand, along with tennis player Paradorn Srichapan and flyweight boxing champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam. He's seen as a working-class hero whose determination and grit have enabled him to rise from humble circumstances. His winnings now total more than $2 million. That may not be impressive by Tiger and Phil standards, but for a poor Thai kid off the streets of Lopburi, it's an incredible feat ... "
Cheers ...
Naturally the cameras never fell on him ('They Fall on Tiger') but he ended up with the best round of the day (a 65) and a prize of $150,000. The field for this tournament was very strong, and in the end Tiger took it in a cakewalk, winning his 6th straight PGA tournament, for a total of 8 this year. He strode out of there with a cool 1.3 mill.
Thongchai has not played in the US or Europe much (he crashed out of the Masters last spring), but he has been very successful on the Asian Tour over the years. Maybe this big tournament will lead him towards greater golf and bigger Baht.
http://www.photodump.com/direct/sawatdee/golf.jpg
A little blurb I found on the web written by a non-Thai journalist living in Bangkok:
" ... So you've got this dark little wiry dude with ears that stick out, born to a poor family in Lopburi, an old city north of Bangkok where hundreds of mangy-looking monkeys hang out near the train station, hoping to snatch a bite of food from an unsuspecting tourist. He grows up in a house without a kitchen, flush toilet or shower. Like many Thai boys, he dreams of being a soccer star, but instead gravitates to golf. He learns to swing with a homemade club he fashions out of a bamboo branch. Then at 19, he joins the Royal Thai Army and remains there for 11 years. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot for the Thai army to do back then, so Thongchai is allowed to spend time working on his golf game. He emerges from the Army at 30, turns pro, and within a few years he's winning tournaments on both the Asian and European tours.
Thongchai is now one of the three biggest sports figures in Thailand, along with tennis player Paradorn Srichapan and flyweight boxing champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam. He's seen as a working-class hero whose determination and grit have enabled him to rise from humble circumstances. His winnings now total more than $2 million. That may not be impressive by Tiger and Phil standards, but for a poor Thai kid off the streets of Lopburi, it's an incredible feat ... "
Cheers ...