Taipei: Thai star Thaworn Wiratchant will aim for an unprecedented 18th Asian Tour victory when he defends his Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) title next month.

Thaworn has enjoyed huge success in the Yeangder TPC which will be staged at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club from September 11 to 14. He won the inaugural showpiece in 2010 and finished second in 2012 behind Gaganjeet Bhullar of India before his victory last year.

A return to one of his favourite hunting grounds will give Thaworn the extra spring in his step as he shoots for more glory in the US$500,000 event which has been staged on the Asian Tour since 2010.

At the age of 47, Thaworn continues to be a formidable player on the region’s premier Tour where he won the Order of Merit in 2005 and 2012.

He proved that age is not a barrier to success when he triumphed at the Queen’s Cup on home soil in June, and jokingly exclaimed that his goal was to hit 20 Asian Tour titles before turning 50.

“It’ll be 20 (wins) soon … just joking! It is so meaningful to me, whether it’s a small or big tournament, every tournament, I am always trying my best,” said Thaworn, who has one of the most recognisable golf swings in the game.

“I’m very excited to return to the Yeangder TPC. I’ve enjoyed huge success there and the Linkou International Golf and Country Club is one of my favourite golf courses. I won the Queen’s Cup in June so it will be nice if I can win another title,” he added.

He admitted that there was some element of luck in his victory last year when Chan Kim of the United States, who was leading in the tournament, stumbled with three bogeys from the 15th hole to allow Thaworn to overtake him and win the event by one shot.

“To be honest, it is not easy to win on the Asian Tour because the younger players are very hungry for success. Chan played very well last year and I was lucky to defeat him. I'm really looking forward to the event and I will do my best to defend my title,” said Thaworn.

The Yeangder TPC was successfully launched in 2010 and has since become one of Chinese Taipei’s top tournaments with worthy champions emerging, including Thaworn, local favourite Lu Wei-chih and Bhullar.