Poom Saksansin of Thailand hopes to take advantage of his recent run of good form to launch a successful title defence at the US$350,000 TAKE Solutions Masters, which starts on Thursday.

Coming off the back of a tied-sixth finish in Fiji last week, Poom is confident of putting up another good run at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) Golf Course, where he had led from start to end to win by two shots for his second Asian Tour title 12 months ago.

The 25-year-old Poom, who sits in 23rd place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, believes his game is trending in the right direction but prefers to play down his expectations as he bids to retain his title successfully for the first time in his career.

Poom will spearhead the talented 156-man field alongside Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe, highest-ranked Asian Tour player in 10th place on the Habitat of Humanity Standings, as well as Indian stalwart S.S.P. Chawrasia and homegrown talent Khalin Joshi.

Chawrasia, a six-time Asian Tour winner, is playing in his first event in four months on the region’s premier Tour. The 40-year-old Indian, who made only two cuts in five starts this season, is looking to regain his top form at the event backed by his sponsor, TAKE Solutions.

Rising star Joshi, who came in runner-up last year, will be banking on his home course knowledge to put up another title run for a breakthrough victory on the Asian Tour.

Vincent hopes to make it a week to remember by claiming his maiden Asian Tour title in his first visit to Bengaluru at the TAKE Solutions Masters. Prior to last week’s Fiji International, the 26-year-old Vincent has claimed four top-10 results in his last five starts on Tour.