Dongguan: For a big man, it isn’t very often that Prom Meesawat feels small when he is at a golf tournament.
The burly Thai, who tips the scale at over 100kg, readily admits he is like a small fish swimming in a big pond this week but he hopes to eventually live up to his nickname the “Big Dolphin” by playing his way up the top echelons in world golf.
Prom tees up in his second US$7 million WGC-HSBC Champions at Mission Hills Golf Club’s Olazabal course on Thursday with every intention of extending his learning curve at a tournament which has attracted seven of the world’s top-10 golfers and a myriad of Major winners.
“It’s my second World Golf Championships event and I still feel like a small player in the field but I hope to gain from this experience and become better. Last week, I learned a lot playing with the PGA Tour players (in Malaysia),” said Prom.
Currently seventh on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, the 28-year-old has enjoyed a solid season with five top-10s and four other top-20s. A win is what he is after following his lone victory in 2006 but Prom, who picked up the nickname as he hails from a coastal town and loves swimming, is prepared to bide his time.
“I don’t expect to play good and win but if my form is good, it will be nice for me and Asian golf. Of course we want to show we can win like Thongchai (Jaidee) and Jeev (Milkha Singh) who won on European soil this year. It shows a lot about the Asian players that we can get to that level,” said Prom.
“Last week and now this week, looking at the player list, there are a lot of good players. It’s good experience for me. From what I saw in Malaysia, I need to improve my driving distance. I figure I need another 20 yards more to compete. My irons are good enough but there is still a lot of work to do. I played with Bo Van Pelt in the second round and I can see that his iron shots are very good. From 150 yards in, they hit it close, not more than 15 feet. That’s the thing that I need to work on.
“If I can get into the top-15 this week, I’ll be happy. This field is very strong. It’s fun to be in these big events,” he added.
Countryman Thaworn Wiratchant, currently the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader, reckons the 7,301-yard Olazabal course will prove to be a challenge for him. Fresh from a top-20 finish in Malaysia last week, the 45-year-old Thai, who has won three times this year, knows he must produce his best golf to compete against the stars of the game at the HSBC Champions.
“Some holes are too long and the greens are firm. When I hit my irons, the ball won’t stop. It will be challenging for me,” he said.
“I don’t think about just wanting to beat Phil Mickelson or Bubba Watson. I want to put on some good scores. I was happy with my form last week so hopefully it will continue. There is no pressure on me. I’m just thinking about playing good golf.”
By Indian Sports News Network