Dubai: Rhea Nair is confident of making her presence felt when she lines up for honours at the 24th Thailand Ladies Open to be held at the Lakewood Country Club from February 9 to 11.
The Dubai-based prodigy, who made her debut as a professional golfer at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters in December of last year, feels the experience of playing in the season-ending Ladies European Tour event will come in handy in a field that comprises of a slew of talented players from across Asia.
"The Dubai tournament was a big learning curve for me. Now I know what to expect and how to string together a round," said the 21-year-old golfer who graduated last year from Alabama University in the US where she was a member of the women's golf team on a full scholarship and played a key role in guiding the team to a string of victories.
Finding rhythm
Rhea shot rounds of 79 and 75 before missing the cut by five shots in Dubai, but she did play her last 13 holes one under par.
"By the time I found my rhythm, it was too late. But then there were a lot of positives to take from the game especially the way I played on the back nine of the second day," said the talented golfer ahead of the $135,000 (Dh496,530) tournament, organized by the Thailand ladies Golf Association.
This tournament has served as a springboard for many Asian golfers, who after winning the event, have moved on to become a force to be reckoned with on the global stage.
For instance, Shin Jiyai of Korea and Yani Tseng of Taiwan won in Thailand before moving on to win the British Women's Open title and many LPGA tournaments.
The field this year is limited to 130 players and entries include female professionals from 15 countries. Last year the Thailand Ladies Open, held at The Vintage Club, was won by Lee Jung-min from Korea with a five-under-par 211 score for 54 holes.
She will not be back to defend her title, but this year's field will be very competitive with many young and strong players from Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand aiming to win the title.
