Jaidee high on hope about Asia’s future

Dubai: At the age of 49, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee is regarded as one of the flag-bearers of Asian golf in the game — and he believes all the signs are there for players from the continent to push for glory at big events and even claim a Major or two on the European and PGA Tours in the coming years.

Speaking exclusively at the Gulf News hospitality tent at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the former Royal Thai Army Paratrooper, who only turned pro at 30, has forged a brilliant career with 19 professional wins, including the 2012 Wales Open and most recently, the 2016 Open de France.

Asia has left its mark recently with such promising names emerging at the forefront of the game, such China’s Haotong Li, the Dubai Desert Classic defending champion, and India’s 2018 European Tour Rookie of the Year, Shubhankar Sharma.

Li is in contention to become only the second player to retain the Classic title after Scotland’s Stephen Gallagher in 2013-14 as he sits second — a stroke behind leader Bryson DeChambeau — going into Sunday’s final day at Emirates Golf Club, where he upstaged Rory McIlroy to triumph last year.

Asian player of 2018, Sharma, 22, has taken the game by storm in the past two years, winning six titles and giving the big guns on the PGA Tour a scare, leading after three round at the WGC-Mexico, before finally finishing ninth.

Jaidee, who shot a disappointing 74 on Saturday on the Majlis Course to sit in a tie for 51st, believes it will only get better for the Asian contingent in the coming years.

“It feels great to be among these young athletes after 20 years on the Tour,” he said. “The game has changed so much with so many kids going through a different training regime to what we went through during my days as a rookie.

“They hit longer, more accurate and spend so much time in the gym and concentrating on fitness off the course, not just hitting the ball. Just to contend, you have to be so strong on distance and control and, now there are so many dedicated youngsters, anyone of them can win any week.

“We see Asian guys like Shama and Li in that mould and — why not — they could easily breakthrough to become one of the world’s best. They hit under par every week. And mark my words, there are more coming through.

“The Ladies PGA and European Tours have been dominated for years by Asian players, and now the focus is to do the same on the men’s Tours. Japan, Korea, Thailand, India — they are all coming and they are all using different training depending on build and strengths to make sure they get to the top.”