Taiwan’s Chan Yih-shin hopes his soaring confidence will bolster his bid for a successful title defense at the King’s Cup starting today.
Chan, who won his maiden Asian Tour title after defeating England’s Nick Redfern and Simon Yates of Scotland in a three-way playoff last year, will be eyeing a happy homecoming at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club. He will contend with a bevy of Asian Tour stars, including Thai legend Thaworn Wiratchant, 12-time Asian Tour champion Angelo Que of the Philippines, South Africa’s Peter Karmis, who won on the Asian Tour in September, and Singaporean Lam Chih Bing at the US$300,000 event.
Chan has been a figure of consistency since his victory last year, notching three top 10 finishes, and he is placed 19th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
“It is great to be back at the venue where you won your first Asian Tour title. Winning last year is one of my fondest memories in my career, and I’m glad to be back to try and defend my title,” the 33-year-old said. “My confidence has been soaring since my win and I have been performing very well on the Asian Tour. I’m definitely playing better than last year, but there are many good players here and I’m not going to get ahead of myself yet.”
He believes the strong wind conditions will prove to be a tricky test for the players this week.
“This is a very tricky golf course and a good score will depend on the wind and some luck. The wind blows from different directions and if you are unlucky, you will get in trouble. Everyone has a chance to win here, so I just need to concentrate on my own game,” Chan said.
The tournament is held to commemorate the king of Thailand’s birthday next month and local hope Chawalit Plaphol, a two-time Asian Tour champion, is determined to battle for the king’s honor.
Chawalit, who has earned more than US$1 million on the Asian Tour since 2004, hopes to recapture his winning form and bounce back from a 23-month lull where he has only managed one top 10 finish.
“My game wasn’t at its best in the last two years, where my driver was a let down, but it has improved and I’ve won three titles in local events in Singapore, the Philippines and Taipei. Now, I’m looking forward to winning again on the Asian Tour, especially in this event. A victory will be a good gift for the king,” Chawalit said.
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