Thongchai Jaidee
Encyclopedia
Thongchai Jaidee is a Thai
professional golf
er who plays on the Asian Tour
and the European Tour. He holds the record for most career victories and most career earnings on the Asian Tour.
Thongchai did not play golf until he was sixteen, and he later went into the Royal Thai Army. He didn't turn professional until he was around thirty years old, but he soon achieved success on the Asian Tour, topping the tour's order of merit in 2001 and 2004. He first played in a major championship
in the 2001 U.S. Open
and finished tied 74th. In February 2004 he became the first Thai to win a tournament on the European Tour by winning the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, an event which it co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour. In 2005 he successfully defended his title. In 2006 he received a special invitation to play in the Masters Tournament. He was the second Thai to play in the Masters after Sukree Onsham, who did so in 1970 and 1971, and by doing so, he became the first Thai to play in all four major championships.
After his victory in the Volvo Masters of Asia
in 2006 he reached 75 in the Official World Golf Rankings
. His best year-end ranking on the European Order of Merit has been 19th in 2009. He topped the Asian Tour order of merit for a third time in 2009.
Thongchai was the first man to win US$2 and US$3 million on the Asian Tour.
He was once a paratrooper in the Thai army.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er who plays on the Asian Tour
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
and the European Tour. He holds the record for most career victories and most career earnings on the Asian Tour.
Thongchai did not play golf until he was sixteen, and he later went into the Royal Thai Army. He didn't turn professional until he was around thirty years old, but he soon achieved success on the Asian Tour, topping the tour's order of merit in 2001 and 2004. He first played in a major championship
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
in the 2001 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
and finished tied 74th. In February 2004 he became the first Thai to win a tournament on the European Tour by winning the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, an event which it co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour. In 2005 he successfully defended his title. In 2006 he received a special invitation to play in the Masters Tournament. He was the second Thai to play in the Masters after Sukree Onsham, who did so in 1970 and 1971, and by doing so, he became the first Thai to play in all four major championships.
After his victory in the Volvo Masters of Asia
Volvo Masters of Asia
The Volvo Masters of Asia was the final event of the season on golf's Asian Tour until 2008.It was first played in 2002 and the field was originally restricted to the top 60 players on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, increasing to 65 in the final year....
in 2006 he reached 75 in the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
. His best year-end ranking on the European Order of Merit has been 19th in 2009. He topped the Asian Tour order of merit for a third time in 2009.
Thongchai was the first man to win US$2 and US$3 million on the Asian Tour.
He was once a paratrooper in the Thai army.
Amateur wins (5)
- 1995 Pakistan Amateur Open Championship
- 1997 Putra Cup
- 1998 Putra Cup, Singapore Amateur Open Championship, Thailand Amateur Open Championship
European Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Feb 2004 | Carlsberg Malaysian Open | 2 strokes |  Brad KennedyBrad Kennedy Brad Kennedy is an Australian professional golfer.Kennedy was born Sydney, Australia. He turned professional in 1994. He has played on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Asian Tour and European Tour. He has won several minor tournaments in Queensland... |
|
| 2 | 20 Feb 2005 | Carlsberg Malaysian Open | 3 strokes |  Jyoti RandhawaJyoti Randhawa Jyoti Singh Randhawa is an Indian professional golfer who was ranked in the top 100 of the world and is the third-highest Indian in the world rankings.-Career:... |
|
| 3 | 1 Mar 2009 2009 European Tour The 2009 European Tour was the 38th series of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972. There were major changes for the 2009 season as the tour entered a partnership agreement with Dubai based Leisurecorp... |
Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open | 2 strokes |  Simon DysonSimon Dyson Simon Dyson is an English professional golfer who is currently a member of the European Tour, having formerly played on the Asian Tour.-Amateur career:... ,  Alexander NorénAlexander Norén Alexander Norén is a Swedish professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour.Norén was born in Stockholm. He attended Oklahoma State University in the United States before turning professional in 2005.... , Steve WebsterSteve Webster Steve Webster is an English professional golfer.Webster was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. He finished tied for 24th place in the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews, winning the silver medal as low amateur ahead of Tiger Woods. He turned professional later that year.Webster won the 1995... |
|
| 4 | 26 Apr 2009 2009 European Tour The 2009 European Tour was the 38th series of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972. There were major changes for the 2009 season as the tour entered a partnership agreement with Dubai based Leisurecorp... |
Ballantine's Championship Ballantine's Championship The Ballantine's Championship is a European Tour golf tournament which was played for the first time from 13 to 16 March 2008 at Pinx Golf Club on the island of Jeju in South Korea... |
Playoff |  Gonzalo Fernández-CastañoGonzalo Fernández-Castaño Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño is a Spanish professional golfer.Fernández-Castaño was born in Madrid. He turned professional in 2004 and came eighth at that year's European Tour Qualifying School.... ,  Kang Sung-hoonKang Sung-hoon Kang Sung-hoon is an South Korean professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.Kang turned professional in 2007 and joined the Korean Tour in his home country. He first gained international prominence in 2009 when he finished runner-up at the Ballantine's Championship, a tournament co-sanction by... |
Asian Tour wins (13)
- 2000 Kolon Cup Korean Open
- 2001 Wills Indian Open
- 2002 Myanmar OpenMyanmar OpenThe Myanmar Open was a professional golf tournament on the Asian Tour. It was founded in 1996, and was played every year until 2005. After a four year hiatus, the event returned to the Asian Tour schedule in 2010.-Winners:-External links:*...
- 2003 Volvo Masters of AsiaVolvo Masters of AsiaThe Volvo Masters of Asia was the final event of the season on golf's Asian Tour until 2008.It was first played in 2002 and the field was originally restricted to the top 60 players on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, increasing to 65 in the final year....
- 2004 Myanmar OpenMyanmar OpenThe Myanmar Open was a professional golf tournament on the Asian Tour. It was founded in 1996, and was played every year until 2005. After a four year hiatus, the event returned to the Asian Tour schedule in 2010.-Winners:-External links:*...
, Carlsberg Malaysian Open (co-sanctioned with the European Tour) - 2005 Carlsberg Malaysian Open (co-sanctioned with the European Tour)
- 2006 Volvo Masters of AsiaVolvo Masters of AsiaThe Volvo Masters of Asia was the final event of the season on golf's Asian Tour until 2008.It was first played in 2002 and the field was originally restricted to the top 60 players on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, increasing to 65 in the final year....
- 2008 Hana Bank Vietnam Masters, Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open
- 2009 Enjoy Jakarta Indonesian Open, Ballantine's ChampionshipBallantine's ChampionshipThe Ballantine's Championship is a European Tour golf tournament which was played for the first time from 13 to 16 March 2008 at Pinx Golf Club on the island of Jeju in South Korea...
(both co-sanctioned with the European Tour) - 2010 Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
T74 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | WD | DNP | DNP | T52 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T13 |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | T36 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | WD | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
T47 | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
CUT | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Results in World Golf Championship events
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Cadillac Championship | T57 | T66 | T41 | 60 | T9 2006 WGC-American Express Championship The 2006 WGC-American Express Championship was a golf tournament that was contested from October 6–9, 2006 at The Grove Golf Course in Hertfordshire, England... |
T23 | DNP |
| Bridgestone Invitational WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | T32 | T58 | DNP | T46 | DNP |
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year... |
DNP | QF 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship -Ben Hogan bracket:-Gary Player bracket:-Sam Snead bracket:-Final Four:-Breakdown by country:-Prize money and FedEx Cup points breakdown:* Sources: -External links:*... |
DNP |
| Cadillac Championship | DNP | T56 | DNP |
| Bridgestone Invitational WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour... |
T60 | DNP | DNP |
| HSBC Champions | T19 | DNP | T29 |
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing Thailand): 20072007 OMEGA Mission Hills World CupThe 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 22 to November 25 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 53rd World Cup. 28 countries competed and each country sent two players. The team purse is $5,000,000 with $1,600,000 going to the winner. The individual purse...
, 20082008 Omega Mission Hills World CupThe 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 27 to November 30 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 54th World Cup. 28 countries competed and each country sent two players. The team purse was $5,000,000 with $1,600,000 going to the winner. The Swedish team of...
, 20092009 Omega Mission Hills World CupThe 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 26 to November 29 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 55th World Cup. 28 countries competed as two player teams...
, 2011 - Royal TrophyRoyal TrophyThe Royal Trophy is a men's professional team golf tournament which was played for the first time in January 2006 at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. The competing teams represent Europe and Asia. Eight man teams play a series of 16 matches involving foursomes, four-ball and...
(representing Asia): 20062006 Royal TrophyThe 2006 Royal Trophy was the first edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 7–8 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
, 20072007 Royal TrophyThe 2007 Royal Trophy was the second edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 12–14 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
, 20092009 Royal TrophyThe 2009 Royal Trophy was the third edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 9–11 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
(winners), 20102010 Royal TrophyThe 2010 Royal Trophy was the fourth edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 8–10 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
, 20112011 Royal TrophyThe 2011 Royal Trophy was the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It is being held from 7–9 January at the Black Mountain Golf Club in Thailand... - Dynasty Cup (representing Asia): 2003 (winners), 2005 (winners)