Player Profile: Thaworn Wiratchant

On Sunday Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant won the Asia Tour's Order of Merit. As the 46-year-old finishes one of the best seasons of his career, this week's player profile highlights some of his most impressive achievements.

Wiratchant was born in 1966 in Nakhon Prathorn, Thailand. After discovering golf at a young age, he enjoyed a successful amateur career until 1987, when he turned professional at the age of 21. Since his professional debut, Wiratchant has won a total of 16 tournaments including 15 on the Asia Tour and one on the European Tour.

Following his debut, Wiratchant remained a little-known player for the first decade of his professional career. As he weathered the challenges of professional golf however, the young player saw his placing on the leader board gradually increase, until he won his first victory in 1996 at the Sabah Masters.

After a further stretch without victory, the Thai champion was victorious again in 2001 when he won two events: the Singapore Open and Volvo Masters of Malaysia. Following these victories, Wiratchant was considered to be a strong contender on the Asian Tour – a reputation he would fully uphold over the following decade.

In 2004, Wiratchant began his spree of victories on the Asia Tour with a win at the Taiwan Masters. In 2005 alone, he won the Indonesian Open, the Taiwan Open, the Indian Open and the Carlsberg Masters of Vietnam. These victories were followed by a win at the 2007 China Classic, the 2008 Bangkok Airways Open, the 2009 Macau Open, and four more championships which included a second victory at the Indian Open in October of this year.

This season, Thaworn Wiratchant topped the Asia Tour's money list for the first time since the 2005 season. As this talented golfer enters his 46th year, he provides a sound reminder that experience often trumps youth in the game of golf.

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