Hoylake: After three consecutive 72s, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee finally put up some red numbers on the board with a solid final round of one-under-par 71 at The Open Championship on Sunday.


The triple Asian Tour number one birdied the closing hole to end his campaign at the year’s third Major championship on a high note after trading four birdies against as many bogeys at Royal Liverpool.


“Played solid, holed a lot of short putts. I had a good round,” smiled Thongchai.


“Made a couple of long ones and had one chip-in birdie on 15. I probably played the best round of the week. It’s nice to finish one under par for the tournament. I enjoy playing on links course for sure.”


With huge crowds at Royal Liverpool, Thongchai said no other event in the world offered the electrifying atmosphere around the 18th green as he delivered a closing birdie.


“It was amazing walking up the 18th. With good weather like this, you can see the crowds are out here in numbers. Even when I walked up to the first hole, it was massive. Unbelievable really,” he said.


“This tournament has the biggest crowds and I’d love to come back here. With the big grandstands, you feel proud to be playing in front of them. It’s fun,” he said.


After leaving Bangkok on May 3 for his European summer sojourn which has seen him win in Sweden and finish top-five in France and Germany, the former Thai paratrooper was looking forward to a short break before resuming his chase for glory in the United States at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship.


“I’m feeling a bit tired as I’ve played a lot of golf. I’ll stay in London for a week and then head over to the WGC and PGA before going home for a break,” he said. “I need to be off for a week before I play again. I’ll probably not touch my clubs for four days. It’s important to to keep fresh and keep the body strong.”


Thongchai, the world’s number 34, said he would consider scaling down his international travels to ensure he is always in tip-top condition for the big events.


“The scheduling is very important. I’m trying to cut it down a bit, trying to ensure I play the big tournaments on the Asian Tour as well and being out here. You have to plan well especially in the end of the year when there are big events. You have to cut down some events eventually,” he said.