Taipei: The region’s best players will make their way to Taipei and resume rivalry when the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) returns to the Linkou International Golf and Country Club from September 13-16.
The Yeangder TPC has raised its profile further following a significant increase in its total prize fund to US$500,000 next week.
The full-field Asian Tour event was launched successfully by the Yeangder Group in 2010 when Thai star Thaworn Wiratchant won the tournament which carried a prize purse of US$300,000 while local hero Lu Wei-chih claimed victory in the second edition last year.
Thaworn will attempt to reclaim the title and rewrite the record books as the player with the most wins on the Asian Tour.
The 13-time Asian Tour winner is currently tied with countryman Thongchai Jaidee for the most wins and another triumph at the Yeangder TPC will cement his name in the record books.
Taipei is one of Thaworn’s happy hunting ground as he has also been victorious at the 2004 Mercuries Taiwan Masters, the other tournament which features prominently on the Asian Tour schedule.
He won the Queen’s Cup in June and at a ripe age of 45, Thaworn reckons his experience can give him an edge when he is in contention. “My experience helps with the mental game. It helps me calm down and not get nervous. I can control that,” he said.
Bangladeshi Siddikur hopes to bounce back to form at the Yeangder TPC following a disappointing performance in Switzerland last week.
The 27-year-old has been a figure of consistency all season until he missed the cut for the first time at the Omega European Masters.
However, he believes his poor result was just a blip and he will return to challenge for the title at Linkou International.
“My form is still good except I couldn’t handle the weather conditions in Switzerland. But that week is over and I’m still confident I can continue to do well like what I’ve done in the first half of the season,” said Siddikur, the first Bangladesh winner on the Asian Tour following his triumph in the 2010 Brunei Open.
With the winner’s prize purse of US$79,250 on offer, Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg will also be looking to land his third Asian Tour title and improve on his position on the Order of Merit.
“The second half of the season will play a decisive role in determining where we finish on the Order of Merit. The Yeangder TPC is another important event and I look forward to playing well,” said the 2010 Asian Tour Rookie of the Year.
Other notable stars expected to mount a title challenge for the Yeangder TPC title include Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, India’s Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar and Australia’s Marcus Both.
By Indian Sports News Network
