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"When you have to hit 21-under to win a tournament you know the standard is very good ---- in Europe they don’t get scores like that so often." He said.

Davidoff Tour Order of Merit winner : Simon Dyson (England)

Birdie Leader (sponsored by Lucent Technologies) : Arjun Atwal (India)

Rookies of the Years (sponsored by Jaguar) : Simon Dyson (England)

In a thrilling finish to the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, Fiji's Vijay Singh yesterday defeated Ireland's Padraig Harrington on the third playoff hole at Saujana Golf and Country Club to pick up the US$151,600 first prize.

It was a pulsating climax to an exciting day of fluctuating fortunes in which the two leaders had finished the tournament in regulation at 14-under.

Harrington and Singh matched one another stroke for stroke on the first two playoff holes at the 18th. The playoff then moved to the par-four 17th where Singh hit an almighty drive to reach the green while Harrington had little choice but try to do the same and reached the rough at the fringe.

Singh, who also won the Malaysian title in 1992, just missed his long putt but sank his second for a birdie. Harrington needed to drain a six-footer to keep the playoff going but just missed and it was all over.

The Irishman had to be content with being runner-up for the second successive year in the Malaysian Open. But he was far from distraught. "If you had offered me second place coming out here I would have been thrilled, not knowing what my form was."

It finished a remarkable day's play in which Singh and Harringtom exchanged the lead several times as Michael Campbell's challenge faded. Singh looked to have had it won until the 17th when he went out of bounds on his way to a double bogey while Harrington took the lead with a birdie at the 16th.

But Harrington then bogeyed the 17th and with Singh picking up a birdie at the 18th, the stage was set for the nail-biting playoff.

Singh confessed he thought he had blown it with his double bogey on the 17th. "I was feeling really disappointed. I thought I had thrown it away," he admitted. "I must commiserate with Padraig-he was playing really well and came back strongly."

The Fijian star, who has a Malaysian wife, was full of praise for the local supporters who not only cheered him but also Harrington in the playoff.

Asked what it was like to play 29 holes in one day in the Malaysian heat he replied: "It felt like 54 holes."

Tied for third place on 12-under were Korea's Charlie Wi and surprise package Ahmad Dan Bateman of the US who hit a sparkling 67 in the final round.

Best performance from Thailand came from Thongchai Jaidee who hit a two-under 70 yesterday to finish in seventh place on eight-under to win a handy US$21,000 in prize money in this jointly-sanctioned European Tour and Asian PGA event.

Thongchai started the day in great style with a birdie on the first hole followed by two more on the front nine to reach the turn in 33.

However he could not put together the charge he needed on the back nine to challenge the leaders and finished with a bogey on the 18th.

Thongchai said he was happy with his performance but a bit disappointed with the two bogeys on the back nine.

"I didn't feel any pressure and enjoyed playing with the two Americans, Clay Devers and Robert Huxtable, who were very relaxed," he said. "My iron play was steady. I'm happy to finish in the top 20".

Someone who possibly did feel the pressure of playing in the penultimate group with Vijay Singh was Thailand's Thammanoon Sriroj who yesterday had to settle for a par 72. Three birdies were offset by three bogeys and he finished on six under overall for 14th place and US$15,151 in prize money.

However it was a fine all-round effort from Thammanoon who was in touch with the leaders throughout the event.

Chawalit Plaphol had his second consecutive par 72 score to finish the tournament on even par in 59th place.

Crowd pleaser John Daly had another good round, firing a three-under 69 to finish on six-under for the tournament. Daly felt his play deserved better. "It's a bit disappointing because when you hit this good, you would expect to score better."

However Daly feels his game is coming together. "It's now 10 cuts in a row...everything feels good. I've got to bite the bullet and wait for my time."

For the first time this week the weather gods at Saujana were kind, the thunder and lightning stayed away, and the organisers were able to complete 29 holes in one day.

LEADING FINAL SCORES

274-Vijay Singh (Fiji) 68 70 68 68, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 70 66 68 70 (Singh won in playoff at third extra hole)

276-Ahmad Bateman (U.S.) 72 69 68 67, Charlie Wi (South Korea) 70 70 67 69

278-Soren Hansen (Denmark) 69 70 70 69

279-Wang Ter-chang (Taiwan) 69 71 68 71

280-Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 75 67 68 70, Desvonde Botes (South Africa) 72 67 71 70, Michael Campbell (New Zealand) 69 67 71 73, Carl Pettersson (Sweden) 72 69 67 72, Maarten Lafeber (Netherlands) 67 72 69 72

281-Olle Karlsson (Sweden) 73 65 72 71, Mardan Mamat (Singapore) 70 70 70 71

282-Thammanoon Sriroj (Thailand) 71 67 72 72, Jean Hugo (South Africa) 75 69 73 65, Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 70 69 72 71, John Daly (U.S.) 72 72 69 69

Thai amateur golfers, playing alongside Taiwanese pro Yeh Wei-tze, recorded a score of 18-under 54 to take the title in the annual Heineken Pro-Am Classic tournament at The Vines Resort near Perth, Western Australia recently.

The Thais-Chayaporn Chorhuad, Kan Kaewsiwarit and Noraset Jantapan-were also winners in the Thailand Heineken Amateur Championships.

One stroke behind in second place were the amateur team from Malaysia and third were the team from Perth's Burswood Casino.

South Korea's Kang Wook-Soon held off an early Thai challenge with some sparkling golf to comfortably win the 2nd Grohe Thailand Masters by five shots at the Windmill Park and Country Club yesterday.

It was the experienced Korean's seventh victory on the Asian PGA Davidoff Tour, which is a record for the Tour.

Kang, 34, shot a six-under-par 66 while his nearest challenger, Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, could only manage a one -under 71 which was still enough to clinch runner's-up spot.

Thailand's Chawalit Plaphol with a two-under 70 and India's Jyoti Rawdhawa who shot a five-under 67, finished joint third, one further shot behind.

American Eric Meeks was a further stroke behind while Singapore's Mardan Mamat was sixth on his own after a five-under-par 67.

There were also outstanding performances by the two youngest players in the field, amateurs Prom Meesawat (16) and Chan Wonglukiet (18), elder brother of the 14-year-old twin sisters Aree and Naree. Both Prom and Chan finished in joint 14th spot after shooting 69s on the last day, for an impressive 11-under total aggregate for the tournament.

After Thongchai and Kang completed the 11th hole tied on 19-under it looked as if the gallery at Windmill Park could be in for a thrilling finish. But it was not to be. The Korean birdied the par three 12th and proceeded to distance himself from Thongchai on the back nine with some brilliant putting.

Thongchai found water with his drive on the 13th to pick up a doubley bogey and within the space of two holes there had been a three-shot swing in favour of the Korean.

The Thai player tried to fight back on the 14th with a birdie, but Kang answered this in even more positive fashion with a tremendous eagle to put himself four shots clear with just four holes to play.

Although Thongchai managed a birdie on the 15th, he never looked like catching Kang whose putter was on fire.

Kang was delighted with his win. "I'm so happy with this victory as its the first time that I've won in Thailand," he said. "I've never done well here previously and this is also my seventh career win on Tour. It's quite special."

"After going four-shots ahead following the eagle at 14th, I knew that I was in control. Looking back, the key this week has been my putting. I've worked pretty hard on my short game in recent weeks and it has paid off. The back nine here was good to me as well as I shot 31, 32, 32 and 31 over four rounds. Those low numbers helped.

"I'm going to play more on the Asian PGA Tour this season as I'm eyeing the Order of Merit crown," said Kang, who won US$32,300.

Thongchai felt he had been a little unlucky.

"I tried to hit a cut at the 13th hole but the ball went straight, hit the buggy path and into the water. I was unlucky there and it wasn't really a bad shot," Thongchai said.

"I'm still happy finishing second because I played well all week. It wasn't like I gave this away. Kang putted real good and was so steady. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season," said Thongchai, winner of the 2000 Korean Open.

LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES

264-Kang Wook-soon (Kor) 67-65-66-66

269-Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 64-66-68-71

270-Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 64-68-71-67, Chawalit Plaphol (Tha) 64-68-68-70

271-Eric Meeks (USA) 67-64-71-69

272-Mardan Mamat (Sin) 67-67-71-67

273-Satoshi Oide (Jpn) 68-69-68-68, Jim Rutledge (Can) 73-62-69-69

274-Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 66-72-67-69

275-Olle Nordberg (Swe) 69-69-69-68

276-Andrew Pitts (USA) 69-68-72-67, Mike Cunning (USA) 69-70-67-70, Will Yanagisawa (US) 67-74-64-71

277-Ted Oh (Kor) 70-67-73-67, Prom Meesawat (Tha, am) 65-74-69-69, Chan Wongluekiet (Tha, am) 70-69-69-69

The 23rd Queen Sirikit Cup International Golf Championship will be held April 11-13 in Hong Kong, and Thailand, which launched the event in 1979 to boost the sport among members of the distaff side in this part of the world, is trying hard to raise a team that could have its name engraved on the majestic award.

With this in mind, the Thailand Amateur Lady Golfers Association (Talga) has invited the golfing twins, Aree and Naree Wongluekiet, who are in Bangkok, to join the country's challenge, if they could find the time from their busy competitive programme in the US.

"Of course it goes without saying that they should qualify for the four-member national team for the tournament. We don't want the other Thai amateurs to feel that they have been overlooked," said Ms Rae-vadee T.Suwan, vice-president of Talga and chief organiser of the Kosaido Thailand Open, yesterday.

Thailand's best performance in the Queen Sirikit Cup tournament was in the inaugural event in 1979 in Thailand, finishing runner-up. The Thais also finished second runner-up once and last year in Taiwan, the Kingdom's team dropped from a first place tie with Japan in the first round, to second in the next and to fourth in the third and final round.

Aree and Naree who had a day off from training yesterday, are gradually getting over their jet-lag and time difference.

They will be seen in action at the Kosaido Thai Open next week, February 7-9 at the Bangkok Golf Club layout, aiming to win the Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor's Cup, the "plum" for the amateur event.

In 1998 a Taiwanese golfer, Connie Wei, then an amateur, caused a major sensation in the Kosaido Thai Open, when she won the title, leaving everyone, including the tough professionals behind.

She completed a fine double that year, winning the individual event in the Queen Sirikit Cup tourney.

Connie is now a pro and last week won the Kosaido Indonesia Ladies Open at the Chiputra golf course. Unfortunately she won't be coming here as she has other commitments.

With hopes springing high for excellent performances by the twins, questions are making the rounds whether a repeat of Connie's achievement in 1998 could be seen at the BGC layout, which has been well prepared for the tourney, this year.

The Anand Panyarachun Charity Golf Invitational raised 1.2 million baht for Unicef on Saturday at Eastern Star Resort's Robert Trent Jones Jr course.

This was the first charity golf tournament held to benefit Unicef-related projects for underprivileged children in Thailand. A cheque for 1.2 million baht was presented to Unicef's representative in Thailand, Gamini Abeysekera.

The inaugural event kicked off featured 112 golfers playing a Four-Ball Team Scramble format, which for most participants was a new experience.

The objective of the day was to have fun and that is something they all had plenty of.

Armed with the Scramble rules in Thai and English, the newcomers to the format rapidly took to it.

Thai Farmers Bank, representing the banking sector, topped the field to capture the Anand-Unicef Champions Cup, returning a net 55.1 off a team handicap of 5.9.

Close behind were top retailers Tesco Lotus, who clinched runners-up status with net 57.8 off 5.2. Alongside came AIA-New Hampshire Insurance with the same gross of 63, but unfortunately with a lower team handicap of 4.5 that resulted in a net 58.5.

The highlight of the ceremony was the trophy presentation by Mr Anand to the winners. The Anand-Unicef Cup, , which features the Anand family coat of arms, will be presented annually to the winners.

Mr Anand, who is the Unicef ambassador in Thailand, outlined in his closing address the evolving strategy for fund raising and emphasised the importance of the involvement of the private sector in charity events.

This, he stressed, had been well demonstrated by sponsorship from both Thai and international companies, especially Cathay Pacific Airways, GE Capital (platinum) and Thai Farmers Bank (gold).

RESULTS

Former Philippine president Joseph Estrada caused Asia's leading players to collectively miss their tee-time last week and as a result the Davidoff Tour will belatedly kick off a promising looking 2001 schedule in Bangkok on Thursday.

The political instability in the Philippines resulted in the President's Invitational Pro-Am-a new event modelled on successful tournaments in the United States pairing amateurs with professionals for all four rounds-being postponed to a later date.

As a result, the US$200,000 Thailand Masters at Windmill Park Country Club will be the launching pad for a season which Asian PGA officials hope will feature 24 tournaments with record prize money of more than US$10 million.

That's three events and over US$3 million more than in 2000 and reflects the steady growth of the Asian PGA Tour which is entering its seventh season.

England's Simon Dyson, the number one in Asia last year with three victories to his credit in an incredible rookie season, will fulfil his promise of competing in the region whenever possible.

Dyson, who has playing rights in Asia, Japan and Europe, will play in this week's Thailand Masters and has pledged to defend his Macau Open title from May 3-6.

The talented Dyson, winner of a record US$282,371 last season, has continued in his rich vein of form at the start of 2001 and was joint ninth in last week's South African Open on the European Tour.

Dyson, who battled through qualifying school a year ago for the right to play on the Davidoff Tour, believes that professional golf in Asia is in the fast lane.

"It is a brilliant standard in Asia-the last three tournaments of the year were won by scores of 19-under, 20-under and 21-under."

Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng and Boonchu Ruangkit will begin a very special season at the Thailand Masters. The duo battled through several qualifying stages to win spots on the lucrative Japan Tour which starts in March.

After a steady start at the Thailand Masters and the London Myanmar Open, where Hong Kong based Kyi Hla Han will attempt to land his home Open for the first time at a club where he enjoyed great success as an amateur, the Davidoff Tour goes into overdrive in mid-February.

The Carlsberg Malaysian Open and the Caltex Singapore Masters, a new event, will be co-sanctioned by the Asian PGA and European Tours and will be classic East meets West encounters with the region's best taking on world stars.

The Malaysian Open has upped its prize money to US$910,000-the biggest purse for a national Open in Asia-and Masters champion Vijay Singh of Fiji, a slimmed-down John Daly, who is enjoying a resurgence this season in tandem with his reduced dependence on alcohol, and New Zealand's Michael Campbell will provide the star appeal.

Yeh Wei-tze of Taiwan, one of several young Asian guns shooting for international glory, won the title last year in thrilling fashion. Victory gave him a three-year passport to the European Tour and many other ambitious players from the region will be wanting to emulate his success from February 15-18 at Saujana Golf and Country Club.

Seven-time European number one Colin Montgomerie, who recently revealed that the pressure of big-time golf nearly ended his marriage, will return to the scene of one of his early successes at the Caltex Singapore Masters.

The US$850,000 event is being staged at the Singapore Island Country Club's Bukit course where an unsung Montgomerie finished second to England's Nick Faldo in the 1993 Johnnie Walker Classic.

Justin Rose of England, who as an amateur thrilled the galleries at the 1998 British Open, has started to bloom on tour and he will be closely watched at the Malaysian Open and Singapore Masters after his back-to-back runner up spots in South Africa this month.

A host of young, up and coming players will be pushing to displace Dyson at the top of the Order of Merit in 2001.

Yeh, India's Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa, Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Gerald Rosales of the Philippines have all shown great potential and are viewing 2001 as the "year of the breakthrough".

As well as chasing titles, the leading Asians will be hunting points this season as they bid to be in the 12-player side for the Ryder Cup style clash with Japan for the Dynasty Cup next year.

February 1- 4, US$200,000 Thailand Masters, Windmill Park Country Club, Bangkok

February 8-11 US$200,000 London Myanmar Open, Yangon Golf Club, Rangoon, Burma

February 15-18 US$910,000 Carlsberg Malaysian Open Saujana Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur

February 22-25 US$850,000 Caltex Singapore Masters & Charity Pro-Am, Bukit Course, Singarore Island Country Club

March 1-4 US$200,000 Casino Filipino Open, Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club, Manila, Philippines

March 15-18 US$300,000 Wills Indian Open, Classic Golf Resort, Delhi

April 26-29 US$350,000 Maekyung LG Fashion Open, Nam Seoul Country Club, Seoul, Korea

May 3-6 US$250,000 Macau Open, Macau Golf and Country Club

May 17- 20 US$300,000 S K Telecom Open, Il Dong Lake Golf Club, Seoul, Korea

June 21-24 US$400,000 Singapore Open, Course TBC

Thailand's twin prodigies Aree and Naree Wonglukiet are scheduled to play in the pro-am round at the US$200,000 2nd Thailand Masters at the Windmill Park Country Club, Samut Prakarn.

A total of 46 Thai and 98 international pros will tee up at the Thailand Masters including title holder Tatsuhiko Ichihara of Japan. The kingdom will also field amateurs Prom Meesawat, Wisut Atjanawat, Ronachai Chamnong and Apisit Nimnuan.

The twins will contest against Asian leading pros Prayad Marksaeng and Boonchu Ruangkit in the fourball pro-am competition scheduled on January 30th, ahead of the tournament .

The special event also features amateurs Charn Wongluekiert, the twins' big brother, and Prom Meesawat against Thongchai Jaidee and Chawalit Plaphol.

In the afternoon session, Aree and Naree will join their coach Jonathan Yarwood and European Tour star Michael Campbell of New Zealand to conduct a golf clinic at the 16th hole.

There was an exciting finish to the fourth leg of Standard Chartered Nakornthon Bank Corporate Golf League recently.

With two fourth-place finishes and a third place under their belts, Toppoint just held off the improving Siamgolfbiz.com team in the Pairs Texas Scramble format in the fourth leg of the Standard Chartered Nakornthon Bank Corporate Golf League at Panya Park.

Team captain Kasemsak Mingsopa was partnered by Prapol Worakulpisut of Dharaniphiphat Co Ltd and they returned a steady 64 net points, but it was the other pairing of Rich Mould's Kusol Kum-Lam and Charoen Sangthong who did the damage with their 59 net point total.

The Siamgolfbiz.com team, captained by Brian Cahill, have got better with every leg and their second-place finish at Panya moved them up to third place in the overall league table.

Peter Maplethorpe's Four Winds team still continue to show good form and are holding on to second place.

Panya Park was in excellent condition for the 21-team event, which is held on a monthly basis around Bangkok for teams who use the competition for corporate hospitality and networking. The corporate groups welcomed Mike Smith's Siemens team as the latest new addition to the league.

Promoter and organiser JBA's Alan Clarke commented: "Khun Saithorn and her staff did an excellent organisation job on the day and Panya Park is definitely one of the best-run clubs that we have been to in Thailand so far.

"All of the corporate teams had a good day and thanks to some generous donations of auction items by Thai Airways International, Siemens and Reuters, we managed to add 30,000 baht to the on-going charity appeal. "This will go to the Bangkok Post's nominated charities at the end of the season."Several teams found the Panya Park layout to their liking and had their best league finish of the six-month season. Jergen Schmidt's DZ Thailand finished in a very impressive sixth place, aided by guest players Jesada Veersporn and Chatchai Yenbumrung.

Johnson, Stokes and Master also continue to improve with every leg and they had their first top 10 finish. Paul Graham had Deloitte Touche's Stephen Reid, Meinhardt's John Pollard and Siam Mace's John Pritchard to thank for that.

Standard Chartered Nakornthon Bank Krungthep, winners of the third leg, could manage only a mid-table placing this time, but the SCNB Consumer Banking and Hat Yai teams kept the bank's banner flying high with excellent performances.

Hat Yai's team, led by Mike Staples and including guests Kim Eng's James Osborne, ING Barings' John Thompson and Asiapac's James Young, had the best gross score of the competition. Standard Chartered's Paul Hurd presented the main prizes to the winning teams, all suitably refreshed by Singha Beer and the quality Berli-Jucker wines. The fifth leg will take place at the President Country Club on February 23.

- For more details, go to the league's website at siamgolfbiz.com/SCNB.

FOURTH-LEG RESULTS(Position, team, team net total)

The 2001 Heineken Thailand Amateur Golf Championships are scheduled to begin in March to select the kingdom's 24 best players to compete in Australia.

The series campaign will be played from March to November at the 33 golf courses around the country, according to Roland Pirmez, the Thai-Asia Pacific Brewery General Manager.

The 24 top scorers will qualify to play in the finals in Melbourne to find out six finalists for the pro-am Heineken Classic tournament at the Royal Melbourne golf club.

Applications can be made commencing Jan 17 and the application fee is 2,500 baht.

This year's 24 Thai representatives will compete at Port Kennedy, The Vines, and Joondalup in Perth on January 16-20. The six finalists will join the pro-am Heineken Classic on February 1-4.

The 2001 Heineken Thailand Amateur Golf Championships are scheduled to begin in March to select the kingdom's 24 best players to compete in Australia.

The series campaign will be played from March to November at the 33 golf courses around the country, according to Roland Pirmez, the Thai-Asia Pacific Brewery General Manager.

The 24 top scorers will qualify to play in the finals in Melbourne to find out six finalists for the pro-am Heineken Classic tournament at the Royal Melbourne golf club.

Applications can be made commencing Jan 17 and the application fee is 2,500 baht.

This year's 24 Thai representatives will compete at Port Kennedy, The Vines, and Joondalup in Perth on January 16-20. The six finalists will join the pro-am Heineken Classic on February 1-4.

Thai youth players walk away with seven amateur titles

Thailand won seven titles in the 9th SICC Invitational Championships at the Singapore Island Country Club recently, the Youth Golf Promotion Club announced yesterday.

The amateur tournament attracted teams from seven countries: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Hong Kong, Thailand and hosts Singapore.

The Thai team, which included 35 young players, saw 14 players finish with seven titles.

The winners were:

Boys' individual overall low gross: Kamolkrit Trakulchang 225 (73-80-72)

Division A (18-21):

Gross score: Witawat Sair-ung 233 (85-74-74)

Division B (14-17):

Net score: Arnat Pupaibul (20) 189 (64-64-60); Runner-up: Satya Sap-aparamai (15) 190 (62-66-62)

Division C (11-13):

Gross score: Anujit Hirunratanakorn 240 (83-79-78); Runner-up: Supalerk Kuratanapisan 244 (83-84-77)

Division D (7-10):

Net score: Meen Tiraniti (24) 186 (60-61-61);

Runner-up: Isara Laekrasin (12) 214 (75-70-69)

Gross score runner-up: Jirat Jirasuwan 249 (85-79-85)

Girls-Individual Division A (14-21): Net score: Pin Dechsupa (24) 193 (63-70-60)

Division B (7-12):

Net score: Porn-anong Patlum 263 (88-87-88)

Gross runner-up: Kamolkan Polcheewin 271 (86-95-90)

Overall low gross runner-up: Porntip Sap-aparamai 251 (87-81-83)

Division A (14-21):

Promoting women's corporate golf in the Southeast Asian region and starting a Senior Tour are twin targets that veteran South African professional golfer Sally Little hopes to make progress with next year.

Little, who was in Bangkok recently to promote these ideas, is confident that these two projects could be made to work if the interest is there.

The South African, who won three Major championships in the United States, has been trying to drum up support from the Thai Amateur Women's Golf Association.

"I have been travelling to different parts of Asia and was in Singapore earlier for a corporate outing for IBM.

"My work consists of playing pro golf and also playing corporate golf which is not such a big thing in Asia but is a very big thing in the US and other places where they bring professionals to play at corporate events.

"Corporate clients get to play with professionals in a day of golf, and we go out there and participate with the amateurs, giving them tips and having fun."As for the Women's Senior Tour, Little says: "We starting one for players aged 45 and over in the US. It has been embraced by the LPGA. and it's going to be very popular because we have had tremendous response from companies and sponsors because they know the people who made women's golf what it is today, players like American Nancy Lopez and Australian Jan Stephenson.

"They are many others, mostly American, all players who were on the women's Tour in the early 1980s.

"We have six events in the US next year. People didn't think that the men's Senior Tour would really take off the way it has and I'm sure it will be the same for the women's.

"We don't like to call ourselves seniors, but for us to have a separate identity from the LPGA Tour, we needed something different. "What we want is to create awareness in Asia. We have already had lot of interest from Japan and South Korea."In her 29 years as a pro golfer, Little has seen the women's Tour grow from a little-noticed Tour to a huge success.

Little says that in the US golf has become very important in business. And for women to be included in the corporate world, one has to play golf.

December 30, 2000 Prayad's 63 gives him Singha Masters title

Hua Hin professional, Prayad Marksaeng chalked up a new course record as he grabbed top honours in the 1.5 million baht Singha Masters golf tournament at the Santi Buri layout in Chiang Rai yesterday.

Prayad who won the purse worth 240,000 baht, burned the Santiburi course with the last day's best round of nine-under par 63 (32-31) and grabbed the victory with a 19-under par 269.

Thongchai Jaidee who played in the same group with Prayad had a final day of five-under par 67 and finished with a 16-under par 272 to pocket 150,000 baht.

Veteran Boonchu Ruangkij had and total of 275 to collect 90,000 bahtThai amateur Prom Meesawat totaled 10-under par 278 to tie Tavorn Wiratchant for fourth place.

SCORES

269-Prayad Marksaeng 66-68-72-63

272-Thongchai Jaidee 70-68-67-67

276-Boonchu Ruangkij 69-67-70-67

278-Tavorn Wiratchant 71-69-72-66, Prom Meesawat (am) 69-74-64-71

280-Chavalit Palaphol 72-64-73-71

281-M Ramayah (Mal) 70-68-72-71

283-Preecha Senaprom 65-75-72-70

284-Somkiat Srisanga 76-69-67-72, Udon Duangdecha 69-69-72-74

285-Colin Fisher (Eng) 70-70-77-68

286-Simon Yates (Sco) 71-70-74-71, Surapol Kongsri 71-72-71-72

288-Suwit Pahulo 68-69-76-75

289-Kenny Walker (Sco) 73-71-73-72

290-Andy Combe (US) 75-77-71-67

291-Attapol Pratummani 75-69-71-76, Kwanmuang Sintarom 70-73-74-74, Charuek Thananupan 70-76-72-73

Heartland Golf Schools opened its fourth location at the Thonburi Driving Range near the Rama IX bridge last Saturday. Heartland's other current locations in Cha-am, Chiang Mai and Northern Bangkok (Prachachuen), have been quite successful due to the membership structure.

The newest site has met every standard to become a Heartland Golf Schools location. Pro Tony Mechai, Director of International Operations and presenter of the Heineken Golf Clinic, will implement the popular certified Adult Pioneer and Junior Superstar programmes.

The Thonburi location is the perfect place for people in the southern Bangkok area to begin or practice their golf game. "This is a fine practice facility and we are proud to serve the golfers in that area," said a delighted Tony.

Through Heartlands certified programs, all of Southern Bangkok will be able to experience learning the game of golf in a fun setting, he added.

By providing memberships, Tony said they are able to track the number of new golfers who have never touched the popular discipline. With a strong membership base, they are able to provide monthly activities and keep tuition low. New and experienced golfers do not have to be shy about their level of play by joining Heartland, says MD Peerayos Krirkkitaya.

Heartland Golf Schools theory of learning is based on the concept of Kaizen which means continuous improvement over time. Students learn that mastering one lesson at a time is better than trying to learn too many concepts at one time. Heartland Golf Schools from USA shows students, like tossing a bucket of water, the golf swing can also be natural to all of us. Thus, the motto, Golf is Fun and Easy to Learn.

Tony has done a great job by maintaining the quality of the Heartland Pros with a significant amount of training sessions with the pros. Heartland Golf Professionals dedication and commitment to the Thai people is unique and special, says Mr Sumet Indamra, the president of the Heartland golf school in Thailand.

Chao Kemmerat, Heartland's first certified professional in Thailand, will lead the operations at Thonburi.

With Heartland in the Thonburi area, the people in Bangkok will now have two locations to choose from to learn golf, says Dr. Prasom Sthapitanonda.

The Davidoff Tour will start its 2001 season in the Philippines at the President's Invitational Pro-Am at the end of January.

The format for the inaugural event, to be played from January 25 to 28 at The Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club, will be based on the successful pro-am tournaments played on the US PGA Tour.

The event will count towards the Davidoff Order of Merit and will feature all of the Tour's top players.

The tournament will start proceedings on the Asian PGA's seventh season, and will be the first of ten events running up until June. The Asian PGA will release the schedule for the second half of the season later in the year.

Two joint sanctioned events with the European Tour will be the highlight of February. The Carlsberg Malaysian Open and inaugural Caltex Singapore Masters & Charity Pro-Am will feature some of the world's top players.

Fiji's Vijay Singh, New Zealander Michael Campbell and American John Daly will star in Malaysia while Singh and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie will put the pedal to the metal in the Caltex event.

2001 Davidoff Tour Schedule (January to June)

Date          Country    Tournament/Course       Prizemoney (US$)

Jan 10 - 13 Malaysia Stage Two Qualifying School N/A
Orna GCC, Melaka

Jan 25 - 28 Philippines President¡¦s Invitational Pro-Am US$200,000
The Manila Southwoods GCC

Feb 1 - 4 Thailand Thailand Masters US$200,000 Windmill Park CC

Feb 8 - 11 Myanmar London Myanmar Open US$200,000 Yangon GC

Feb 15 - 18 Malaysia Carlsberg Malaysian Open * US$910,000 Saujana GCC

Mar 1 - 4 Philippines Casino Filipino Open US$200,000 Manila Southwoods 

Mar 8 - 11 India Wills Indian Open US$300,000 Classic Golf Resort

Apr 26 - 29 Korea Maekyung LG Fashion Open US$350,000 Nam Seoul CC

May 3 - 6 Macau Macau Open US$200,000 Macau GCC

Jun 21 - 24 Singapore Singapore Open US$400,000 Course TBC

The organisers of the Kosaido Thailand Ladies Open have decided against including the event in the European Tour next year as it would clash with the original idea of encouraging young stars from this part of the world and elsewhere.

Women's golf official Ms Rae-vadee T. Suwan, who is back in Bangkok after a meeting with Kosaido chairman, Mr Y. Sakurai, said that the issue of the tournament joining the European Tour had been discussed in Tokyo.

The main sponsors believe that the Thailand Ladies Open should retain the concept of encouraging young golfers.

"We must continue to develop and popularise this event at the grassroots level and encourage the rising stars to march forward, instead of bringing top golfers from elsewhere and making the meet top heavy," said Rae-vadee. "That would apply pressure on young players and discourage them from advancing.

"It was on the Asian Ladies Tour that many of today's stars-Liselotte Neumann, Sofie Gustafson, Mardi and Karen Lunn, Corinne Dibnah and many others-first hit the limelight.

"If the Kosaido Thailand Open was part of the European Tour, that would automatically shut the doors on newcomers. And that would mean our tournament would no more be the stepping-stone to stardom," added Rae-vadee.

South Africa's Des Terblanche proved a well-deserved winner of the 36th Thailand Open when he fought off a spirited challenge by Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng at the Springfield Royal Country Club yesterday.

Terblanche, who shot a five-under-par 67 yesterday, held off Thongchai (68) by just one stroke and Prayad (67) by two. He was full of praise for the Thai challengers at the end of the tournament.

"They played great and made it very tough for me," he said after picking up his US$32,300 first-prize cheque.

At the 18th Thongchai had a difficult 45-foot eagle putt to try and force a playoff but his excellent effort slid agonisingly past the hole and the title went to the big South African.

Terblanche began the day in storming style with birdies at the first two holes and two more on the opening nine for an outward 32. Despite this, he could not shake off Thongchai. The Thai challenger took at little longer to get going, but birdies at the fifth and sixth put him back into contention.

What turned out to be the key moment in the day came at the 13th. Thongchai had just birdied the 12th to draw level with Terblanche. The Thai player then hit an almighty drive at the 13th which turned out to be too good, carrying 310 yards and just bouncing into the water, much to the dismay of the gallery.

While Thongchai went on to suffer a bogey at this hole, Terblanche was picking up a birdie at the 14th and the two-shot swing in the South African's favour was to last until the final hole.

"I played nicely, no big mistakes," said Terblanche. "This victory is great for me. In fact all victories are great."He admitted he got a little tired on the back nine, probably a result of being sick earlier in the week.

Terblanche said he knew the title wasn't secure until he had safely landed his second shot on the island green at the potentially-dangerous 18th. "I was breathing a lot easier after that shot," he said.

An avid rugby fan, Terblanche joked that his victory didn't quite compensate for the defeat of the Springboks by England in the rugby union international the night before.

Thongchai was gracious in defeat and said he was quite happy with his performance, which netted him a US$22,260 cheque, although his putting let him down on several birdie opportunities.

"I felt I played quite well. I didn't make any disastrous mistakes," he said.

However he admitted he was a bit unlucky at the crucial 13th where he found water with his huge drive. "I just drove the same as the previous three days but the wind must have caught it because it kept on going," he said. "That was just bad luck."Prayad, after a bogey on the third, settled down to play some steady golf but needed a slip-up by Terblanche if he was to be in contention at the end. And the South African was not going to give this title away. Prayad said he was pleased with his performance although he would have rather been the winner.

After this week's fine performances, Thongchai and Prayad maintained their sixth and seventh placings in the Davidoff Order of Merit.

Thailand's other main hope, Thaworn Wiratchant, faded on the last round with a two-over 74 and had to settle for joint 18th place.

Lowest score of the day came from Mexico's Pablo Del Olmo who broke the Springfield course record with a stunning nine-under 63, with four birdies on the opening nine, and five on the back.

Thailand's promising young amateur, 16-year-old Prom Meesawat, shot an even-par 72 yesterday to finish three-under and a share of 50th place. It was all good experience for Prom whose maturity impressed all the professionals he played with during this tournament.

The players were also full of praise for the attractive Springfield course and the fine quality of the greens and fairways which made a great contribution to a successful tournament.

LEADING FINAL SCORES

269-Des Terblanche (Rsa) (67 65 70 67)

270-Thongchai Jaidee (Thai) (66 68 68 68)

271-Prayad Marksaeng (Thai) (68 69 67 67)

272-Charlie Wi (Kor) (72 67 67 66)

273-Nico Van Rensburg (Rsa) (72 68 67 66) Pablo Del Olmo (Mex) (71 71 68 63)

275-Arjun Atwal (Ind) (69 67 68 71) Chang Tse-Peng (Twn) (74 68 68 65) Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa) (72 68 65 70)

276-Robert Pactolerin (Phi) (75 64 66 71) Simon Dyson (Eng) (69 67 72 68) Scott Taylor (US) (68 70 68 70) Saneh Saengsui (Thai) (68 71 69 68) Daisuke Maruyama (Jpn) (66 72 64 74)

277-Kyi Hla Han (Bur) (71 66 72 68) Chawalit Plaphol (Thai) (67 69 72 69) Yoshimitsu Fukuzawa (Jpn) (73 69 65 70)

278-Thaworn Wiratchant (Thai) (71 67 66 74) Zaw Moe (Bur) (71 68 68 71) Soushi Tajima (Jpn) (69 69 70 70) Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) (69 70 70 69)

November 21, 2000 Tiger vows to return to Asia to defend title

Woods pays around 17m baht in Thai tax

Tiger Woods' departure from Bangkok yesterday was delayed due to some mechanical problems with his private jet.

The champion golfer, his manager Mark Stenberg and others in his entourage, including his mother Kulthida, used the extra time in Thailand to visit some of Bangkok's temples, including the Emerald Buddha.

Woods, who won the Johnnie Walker Classic by three shots on Sunday, has promised to defend his title next year, wherever it is played. His next stop is Hawaii, where he will take part in this week's Grand Slam of Golf.

Apart from Woods' superb golf, he contributed in several other ways to the country during his time in Thailand.

"His participation, along with the other stars, in the Johnnie Walker Classic has enriched the Thai tax coffers to the tune of 35.4 million baht," said the International Management Group's Colin Dujohn. "Of course half of that tax came from Woods' own earnings.

"The event also drew elite tourists to the country, who spent lavishly and took back pleasant memories of the Kingdom. They are likely to return."

Dujohn said Woods was very happy with the way his visit went and delighted with the treatment he received.

"He praised the event, saying it was top class, and added that he is carrying away nothing but good memories.

"Though some people seem to misunderstand him, especially while he is playing, everyone who dealt with him learned a lot about his fine character and his refined behaviour.

"It's true he did not smile many times while he was in action, but normally it is difficult for someone who is under pressure to perform at his best and at the same time smile.

"Some seem to misunderstand him because of the seriousness on his face and claim he is arrogant. But that isn't true," added Dujohn.

"I was with him throughout his stay in Bangkok and I know he has dealt with everyone amiably. He is a true gentleman.

"I also know he was very pleased with everything, including the excellent arrangements which were made, and has assured us that he will come to Asia to defend his title next year."

On Sunday night Woods thanked those who worked for the tournament, including the security personnel, who ensured everything functioned smoothly and saw to it that his participation went smoothly.

It has still not been decided where the next Johnnie Walker Classic will be held, but Riche Monde's Paul Choong said Tiger's 10th victory of the year in the 10th anniversary of the Johnnie Walker Classic-in Thailand-was a rare coincidence.

November 20, 2000 GOLF / JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC

Tiger triumphs to make it a Thai hat-trick

Another 65 seals three-shot victory

Tiger Woods has done it again.

In one of the best performances in the 10-year history of the Johnnie Walker Classic, Woods yesterday emerged champion with an astonishing 25-under-par total after shooting his third successive seven-under 65.

Young Australian Geoff Ogilvy finished runner-up for the second year running, three strokes behind the world No 1, after a sizzling 64 on the 6,986-yard Alpine Golf and Sports Club layout.

Both winner and runner-up also had the distinction of returning the two lowest four-round scores in the tournament since it was inaugurated in Hong Kong in 1990. South Africa's Ian Palmer, the winner of the second Classic which was held in Thailand 1992, had the lowest total of 268 until yesterday. Both Woods (263) and Ogilvy (266) beat that.

Defending champion, Michael Campbell of New Zealand, finished third. He went round in 69 for a total of 18-under 270, while Australia's Rodney Pampling (71 yesterday) and Scotland's Paul Lawrie (69) finished tied for fourth on 272. Yesterday was the hottest day of this week's Classic, but the stars, wiping beads of perspiration time and time again and guzzling down bottles of water, transformed the final round into a memorable one. For Woods the victory in his mother's country was special.

In toasting the triumph, he said: "Any time I come back to my mom's home country, it is special."Woods was always in command yesterday as he registered the lowest four-round total of his career. His 65 could have been much lower, had an eagle-putt not stopped on the edge of the 14th hole, while a birdie-putt at the 15th met a similar fate. Then at the 17th, his chip missed by a whisker again.

A smiling Woods, who was relaxed throughout the round, added: "It's great to come back to Thailand. It's always nice to see some friends and members of the family, following and supporting. This is part of my culture and heritage."He said he had played well throughout the four days, hit a lot of solid putts and his driving was the key to his success.

"If you stay out of the rough, you can always control your shots here. I thought I needed a 65 to ensure victory and that stuck in my head. "I was aiming for a three-under score on the front nine. If I had gone out in two-under, the other guys would have given me a run.

"Number 9 was the key hole. Though it wasn't the best of approach shots, I was still able to make the putt.

"It was a two-shot swing with Michael as he bogeyed it and it gave me the three-under score on the front nine.

"I knew if I could shoot 65, then Michael would have to shoot 62 to force a playoff. That was my goal and it went according to plan."Thailand has been terrific for Woods. For not only has he won here the three times he has played here as a pro-the 1998 Classic and the 1997 Honda Classic being the others-he also recalled how he made the Johnnie Walker Classic cut as an amateur in 1994.

"So there's significance behind every performance in Thailand," he said. His delighted mother Kulthida followed her son round the course and dozens of fans stopped to chat with her.

Woods earned US$190,797 for his triumph-his 10th of the year-and Ogilvy US$127,188. Ogilvy, who played in the group ahead of Woods, threw a superb inward half at the American with six birdies from holes 10 to 17.

When he had a birdie at the 17th, the Australian was two behind Woods, but the world's top player proved his excellence by carding a birdie on the 17th himself to keep the lead at three strokes.

"I've never started the weekend being two behind, shot a 67 and then a 64 and lost by three," said Ogilvy.

"It's ridiculous and that was as well as I could have played. All credit to Tiger, he's the best.

"My goal was to win the tournament and to shoot low and make Tiger play. To get a 64 today and to chase Tiger on the back nine, matching birdie for birdie, was a fantastic feeling. "I thought at the 10th that 23-under would be good enough, but in the end he proved how good he is."Last year's champion Campbell produced an early charge with four birdies in the first six holes, but failed to maintain the pressure.

"It was a pretty good defence overall," said the New Zealander. "I was in with a chance, but only for a while. "Unfortunately my second shot on the ninth came up short and I made a bogey. Then I missed chances on the next two holes and also bogeyed 12."The highest-placed Asian was China's Zhang Lian-Wei who went round in 71 and was tied for the ninth spot at nine-under.

Thailand's Chawalit Plaphol, who had a 71 yesterday, and Prayad Marksaeng (70) finished tied in 19th place with Sergio Garcia and four others.

LEADING FINAL-ROUND SCORES

263-Tiger Woods (US) 68-65-65-65

266-Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 68-67-67-64

270-Michael Campbell (Nzl) 71-67-63-69

272-Rodney Pampling (Aus) 68-66-67-71, Paul Lawrie (Scot) 67-69-67-69

276-Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 72-65-69-70, Wayne Smith (Aus) 65-70-68-73

277-Anthony Painter (Aus) 71-68-73-65

279-Zhang Lian-Wei (Chn) 72-67-69-71, David Podlich (Aus) 69-70-69-71, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 69-72-72-66

280-Richard Green (Aus) 71-70-71-68, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 72-70-68-70

281-Kenny Druce (Aus) 70-68-68-75, Soren Hansen (Den) 70-69-73-69, Paul Gow (Aus) 66-70-73-72, Rolf Muntz (Ned) 69-75-70-67

282-Craig Jones (Aus) 72-73-70-67

283-Sergio Garcia (Spa) 74-64-75-70, Chawalit Plaphol (Thai) 74-68-70-71, Prayad Marksaeng (Thai) 71-70-72-70, Lucas Parsons (Aus) 72-70-69-72, Daisuke Maruyama (Jpn) 69-72-69-73, Brett Ogle (Aus) 71-73-69-70, Stephen Lindskog (Swe) 71-74-70-68