Thongchai takes cautious approach at Open

GULLANE (United Kingdom): Thai star Thongchai Jaidee took a more cautious approach in the final round of the British Open on Sunday when he shot a one-over 72.

Thongchai kept his driver in the bag for most of the day due to the blustery conditions at the challenging Muirfield course.

He played solidly for the day and was on track for his third straight even-par score for the week before his tee shot on 18 found the fairway bunker, which resulted in a bogey.

“I only pulled out two drivers on 10 and 17 because the wind was blowing very strongly. I played solid for three rounds,” said Thongchai, who registered nine-over 293.

Currently ranked 61st in the world rankings, Thongchai will now set his sights on breaking into the top 50 in the world when he plays at the PGA Championship, the year’s fourth and final Major, in August.

“I enjoyed my experience a lot. Luckily I made the cut! I know the course is tough. It is a good finish for me. I’ll take a break and then I’ll play in the PGA Championship. I’ve been playing for seven weeks now so I’m a bit tired.

“I wanted to break into the top 50 in the world but unfortunately I couldn’t this week. I only had two bad holes for the week (two triple bogeys on Thursday). It happens on this golf course. You need some luck here to avoid the bunkers,” said Thongchai.

Playing at The Open for the fifth consecutive year, the Thai legend believes he is more accustomed to links golf.

“I’ve been playing in Europe for about 10 years so I’m quite familiar with links golf. You need to have experience when you play links golf. The wind direction changed every day. That’s links course for you. Luckily it didn’t rain today,” he added. — AFP