Thailand's top young golfers will be looking to compatriots Nakarin Ratanakul and Thidapa Suwannapura for inspiration when they tee off in the Faldo Series Thailand Championship at Rose Garden Golf Club near Bangkok on January 13-14.
The big-hitting Ratanakul, otherwise known as 'Boom', won the inaugural Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in China back in 2006 while Suwannapura was crowned the 2010 Faldo Series Asia Girls' champion at Mission Hills earlier this year.
21 year-old Ratanakul is now a member of the Purdue University golf team in the US where he keeps in regular contact with Sir Nick Faldo for advice and support, while Suwannapura has used her win at Mission Hills as a springboard to further overseas victories, including the Handa Junior Masters in Australia, the Malaysian Amateur Open and the Riverwoods Junior Open in The Netherlands. 18 year-old Suwannapura is also well placed to challenge for playing rights on the LPGA Tour next year having progressed through Sectional Qualifying in the US.
With other Asian nationalities also eligible to enter the fourth Thailand Championship, a field of over 70 boys and girls aged 12 to 21 will be divided into five age categories, three for boys (Under-21, Under-18 and Under-16) and two for girls (Under-21 and Under-16). The winner of each category will qualify for the fifth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, an R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event which the six-time Major Champion will host on the Faldo Course at Mission Hills in Shenzhen next March.
As part of Faldo's drive to popularise the game at the grass-roots level as well, younger children from the local community will also be attending Rose Garden during the tournament to receive a free coaching clinic and then watch the competitors in action.
Underwritten by Faldo himself, the Faldo Series Asia is supported by major partners ISPS, Mission Hills and The R&A, together with official golf wear partner UFL and official equipment supplier TaylorMade. It is endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Federation (APGC).
Further to the success of the Faldo Series Europe, launched in 1996, the Faldo Series Asia was established in 2006 to help develop the region's next generation of champions. Over 30 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in more than 25 countries across the UK, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia and former winners include Rory McIlroy, Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, John Parry, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Yani Tseng, all of whom have since won on Tour.
The 2010/2011 Faldo Series Asia schedule features a record 17 tournaments in 12 different countries including six in mainland China plus others in The Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Bahrain, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Thailand.
For details on entry into the fourth Faldo Series Thailand Championship at Rose Garden Golf Club near Bangkok on January 13-14, please visit www.tsgu.com or email tsgugolf@hotmail.com. For more information on the Faldo Series visit www.nickfaldo.com or follow the Faldo Series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/faldoseries.
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