Hua Hin, Thailand: Sweden’s Johan Edfors believes the signs are encouraging after he won the Par-three contest, a light-hearted precursor to the season-ending US$1 million King’s Cup Golf Hua Hin which tees off at the Black Mountain Golf Club on Thursday.

Modelled after a similar tradition at the Masters Tournament, Edfors received a timely confidence boost when he came up tops ahead of his title challenge at the King’s Cup, which recently inked a five-year agreement with the Asian Tour.

“It’s definitely a great way to start the week having won the par-three contest. I hit some really nice shots out there despite the strong winds. It’s a sign of good things to come. I had quite a long break so it’s good to have the game back in shape,” said Edfors.

“It’s always nice to come back to play in Asia. I’ve a second home here in Black Mountain and I’m actually thinking of playing a lot more in Asia now,” added the 38-year-old who owns a villa that overlooks the 11th hole at the Black Mountain Golf Club.

While it was all fun and laughter at the informal social event where contestants played nine holes against the stunning backdrop at Black Mountain Golf Club, the quality of the players on display was enough for the Swede to know his title ambitions will be put to a stern test.

The King’s Cup will be lit up by more than 30 proven champions from the region’s premier Tour and Edfors, a three-time winner in Europe, knows it will not be a walk in the park as he seeks another victory at the Black Mountain Golf Club.

“The standards have gone up dramatically over the last couple of year. There are so many young ones coming up and the old ones never seem to fade away either. The competition is getting tougher as there are so many good players over here now,” said Edfors, who lifted his second Asian Tour title after a splendid wire-to-wire triumph at the Black Mountain Masters in 2009.

Meanwhile after describing his 2013 season as his best year ever, Philippines’ Angelo Que is looking to end the season on a flourish at the King’s Cup.

“I’ve no complaints as this is my best season ever. I finished top-five on five occasions and was playing really solid and consistent. Hopefully I can keep this up and have my fourth win on the Asian Tour very soon,” said Que.

With his impeccable form last year, Que was the man to look out for atop the leaderboard each week and he hopes it will be no different at the Black Mountain Golf Club as he starts the New Year on a fresh note.

“Every week when I go out to play, it feels like I’ve a chance of winning and I’m in contention but I think the highlight would have to be in India (Hero Indian Open) as I just showed up on Thursday and almost had a chance of winning it,” said Que.

Like Que, Thailand’s 18-year-old boy wonder, Jazz Janewattananond has also shown his star credentials.

Jazz, who steals the limelight not only from the exploits on the course but also his loud and attention-grabbing apparel, produced impressive back-to-back top-10s in the Philippines and Indonesia late last year.

Despite playing on his home course this week, Jazz feels there will be no real advantage as whoever can tame the gusty conditions will stand of good chance of lifting the King’s Cup.

‘The toughest part of playing at Black Mountain is playing against the strong wind. Everyone has a chance to win here. You don’t really have a home advantage here because it is so windy here,” said Jazz, who inked his place in the history books as the youngest to make the cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok.

The Thai struggled with his swing in 2012 but modifications to his game last year has paid off handsomely and he hopes it will extend into the 2014 season, where he has already secured his card.

“I had a swing fix in 2012 but that didn’t work to my advantage. I changed back to my old swing and that has been the key to a good season for me,” said Jazz.

For the first time ever, the King’s Cup will be broadcast live, over four rounds on the Asian Tour’s global television platform which reaches over 180 countries and 640 million homes, ensuring extensive worldwide exposure for the popular beach resort town of Hua Hin, sponsors, and the Kingdom of Thailand itself.