Bangkok: 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel will defend his Thailand Golf Championship crown at the picturesque Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, just outside Bangkok, from December 12 to 15, 2013.

The Thailand Golf Championship will once again see many of the world’s top golfers competing alongside the Asian Tour’s best with significant Official World Golf Ranking points on offer.

Inaugurated in 2011, the tournament has already firmly established itself as Thailand’s leading sports event and one of the biggest golf events in the region, attracting worldwide attention from media and spectators.

Currently ranked 15th in the world with 16 professional wins to his name, the slender Schwartzel dominated a world-class field to win the 2012 Thailand Golf Championship by an extraordinary 11 shots, carding just a solitary bogey over 72 holes of golf.

The South African has a tremendous track record at Amata Spring as prior to his 2012 win, he was runner-up behind Lee Westwood in the first ever Thailand Golf Championship in 2011 and he’s hoping to continue his run of results at this year’s tournament.

“I am very much looking forward to coming back to Thailand, which is one of my favourite places anywhere in the world to visit and play. There is something about Amata Spring Country Club that seems to bring out the best in me, and I hope I can bring my ‘A’ game to the tournament again this year and defend my title. The Thais love their golf and I hope to see them out on the course in December,” said Schwartzel.
 

With a total prize fund of US$1 million, the prestigious Championship aims to help develop professional golf within the region and promote Thailand as an international sporting destination and regional event hub. In 2012, the tournament was broadcasted live to over 180 countries and 640 million homes.