Wire-to-wire victory for Chapchai at TCL Classic
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2007 TCL Classic | Wrap | 18 Mar 2007
In a brilliant display of front running, 23-year-old Thai golfer, Chapchai Nirat, led from start to finish win his first significant tournament, the TCL Classic, by three shots and in doing so became the third Thai golfer after Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wirachant to win on the European Tour.
Chapchai has been a professional since the age of 15 but is in just his third full season on the Asian Tour having recorded five top tens in 2006. He is the son of a talented amateur golfer and has always shown promise and an ability to hit the ball a long way.
With a five shot lead as he started the final day at the Yalong Bay Golf Club on Hainan Island, Chapchai added a birdie at his 9th hole to move to 22 under and at that point still led by four. A bogey at the 10th put an element of doubt in his mind as although he controlled the tournament, the enormity of what he was about to achieve still had the capacity to derail him.
When he hit a great shot to the dangerous par three 15th and holed his birdie putt from some 30 feet he had extinguished not only any threat from his nearest rivals but from within and he was able to enjoy the fruits of his labours over the closing holes.
Chapchai later stated that he will take advantage of the status he now has on the European Tour to play in Europe and the big hitting Bangkok resident becomes the third consecutive Asian Tour golfer, following wins by Anton Haig and Wen Chong Lian, to take full benefit from the co-sanctioning of events between the two tours.
26-year-old, Rafael Echenique is in his first season on the European Tour after a season on the Challenge Tour in 2006 where he finished 7th and gained access to the larger stage. He had done little in the few European Tour events in which he had played to date in 2007 but interestingly won a Challenge Tour event in his homeland late in 2006 after he had become a European Tour member. He had also won on the 2006 Challenge Tour schedule at the Tella Challenge in Sweden.
Yet another Thai golfer, Prayad Marksaeng, rebounded from a relatively slow start to the event to finish third after making the cut right on the number. Marksaeng was out in 32 today and threatened to challenge his countryman, Chapchai, but his momentum was slowed by a bogey at the 12th which put paid to any chance of a miraculous victory.
Australian Simon Nash finished fourth along with England’s James Heath, recording his best finish since his third placing at the 2005 New Zealand Open more than two years ago. Nash agonisingly missed his European Tour card late last year when he dropped several shots over the closing holes in Spain but gained a start this week here via the category that offers a chance for players who have just missed at Tour School. The former University of Minnesota star has taken advantage of that opportunity and is now awaiting a start next week in Portugal in the same category.
Heath finished 14th on the European Challenge Tour in 2006 and like Echenique gained access to the main tour as a result. The brilliant amateur has given yet another indication of the class player he is by his result in China but he will rue a double bogey he made at the 15th today as he mounted a challenge to Chapchai.
David Bransdon was the next best of the Australians after Nash when he finished in 6th along with last week’s winner in Singapore, Liang Wen-Chong and Japan’s Taichi Teshima, while Peter Fowler was 9th.
Kane Webber was 13th while Ashley Hall and Adam Blyth were 17th. Blyth’s last round of 73 proved very costly as he slipped eleven places.
The European Tour moves to Portugal this week while for the leading European players the WGC CA event is on in Florida.
