The European Tour and Asian Tour come together as one again this week for the second staging of the True Thailand Classic. This is the first of two tournaments that will be held in Asia before The Masters and should be a solid week of golf.
Even though the tournament comes a week after a World Golf Championship event out in America the organisers have got a decent little field assembled for the event which should create plenty of interest in the local area.
As with last year the Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin hosts the tournament. I enjoyed watching this course last year. It is exposed so if the wind blows it will cause a few issues but it can be attacked.
The course is a par 72 which measures 7,346 yards which sounds a lot but it doesn’t play that long. The rough was down here last year and as a result the longer hitters were able to let it fly and get stuck into the course. I’m expecting similar this year.
Scott Hend was runner up last year and he said this is a golf course you really have to attack from the tee and that looked about right to me so I think length off the tee is a big factor this week.
Thongchai Jaidee is the bookies favourite this week. He should have won the tournament last year. He might not be long off the tee but his irons were dialled in and this is his home course so he knows every inch of it. He’s 12/1 to land his national title. He has pulled out of his last two events with a virus though and has been in hospital recently so you’re taking the chance he is fit if you back him.
Joost Luiten is the second favourite at 16/1 ahead of the other home star Kiradech Aphibarnrat who is 20/1. Thomas Pieters comes next at 22/1 with Peter Uihlein at 25/1 and Alex Levy at 28/1 the only other men shorter than 40/1 in the betting.
I actually liked the look of Pieters this week but I read on twitter that he only landed in Thailand on Tuesday because he has been full of flu so that immediately puts me off him but I am going with four for this week.
My main bet is on a Thai. Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s resurgence began here 12 months ago when he finished in a tie for fourth here. A few weeks later he won in China and hasn’t looked back since.
It is fair to say that Kiradech’s season hasn’t got going yet but he got married on Valentine’s Day and the planning and stuff around that may well have impacted on his form but having blown away some cobwebs in Miami last week I’m expecting a big show this week.
Aphibarnrat belts it a long way off the tee and with little emphasis on placement this week that suits him perfectly and he’s a really good putter so he has all the tools to build on that high finish last year by landing the title this time around.
Scott Hend annoyed the life out of me last year with an indifferent final round when he should have cruised to the title and after his beating around Doral last week I wasn’t going to back him this week but then the 45/1 price appeared and I’ve been priced in, especially as I was on him at much shorter last year.
If we ignore last week and take him on his Dubai Desert Classic form then he has to be a leading player again here. We know he specialises in Asia and being one of the longest in the world off the tee this course suits him down to the ground. If he can hole some putts the lengthy Aussie has to be there or thereabouts.
I’m sticking with the Australians who should actually go well around here. The weather is similar and the exposed element of the course is very much in line with a number of Australian tracks so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised Andrew Dodt defends this week.
He could go well again although he’s another carrying a virus so instead I’ll take Nathan Holman. Holman is already a winner this season having landed a title in Australia on a wind swept Royal Pines Resort in Queensland just prior to Christmas and he was heavily in the mix in Malaysia a few weeks ago too until he stalled over the weekend.
Holman was just outside the top 20 here last year and he is so much more established now and more importantly he is playing so much better. He took a first round battering around Doral last week but bounced back to play the last three rounds in level par which was no mean effort. He is at home in Asia and I’m expecting a big run from him here.
Lastly I’ll take a Swede in Pelle Edberg. A few Swedes have houses on this course and although he isn’t one of them I’m guessing the conditions being similar to ones players face in Scandinavia has a lot to do with many of them relocating to here.
Edberg is powerful off the tee and while there is an erratic side to his game this course doesn’t punish the errant unless it is dramatically so but at a three figure price I’m going to take the chance Edberg, who had a solid Desert Swing and big efforts on similarly exposed tracks in Switzerland and the Czech Republic last year, enjoys the open layout and delivers a big week.
Back K.Aphibarnrat to win True Thailand Classic (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 21.00 with Skybet (1/4 1-5)
Back him here:
WON – Back S.Hend to win True Thailand Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 46.00 with Stan James (1/4 1-5)
Back N.Holman to win True Thailand Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 56.00 with Stan James (1/4 1-5)
PLACED – Back P.Edberg to win True Thailand Classic (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Boylesports (1/4 1-5)
Back him here:
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Congrats once again Kev. Great call. I say it this time with a little deflation. I backed Swangarunporn after round 2 at 75/1. His poor third round cost me in the end. Most annoying thing was that it was a cash out bet when I placed it, but for some reason the bookies withdrew it today. I am pretty sure I would have grabbed it when he was in the lead. Well called on Scott Hend
Cheers Jackie. Was nice to get a bit of redemption after Hend threw it away for me there last year! Hopefully I can get some Indian redemption this week too. Unlucky with Pia. Heck of a final round.