Fantasy Five To Watch In Thailand
The European Tour travels 640km from Kuala Lumpur to Hua Hin for this week’s True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain, and with a lot of new faces in the field, we’ve selected five players to consider adding to your Fantasy Race To Dubai team.
Anirban Lahiri
As well as being the most recent European Tour winner, Lahiri is now the lowest-ranked player teeing it up at the True Thailand Classic. His win at the Maybank Malaysian Open last week has elevated the Indian to 37th in the Official World Golf Ranking, and it’s easy to see why. In his last 14 starts, Lahiri has two wins and nine top 15 finishes. He has finished second and sixth in his last two starts in Thailand and even has a top three finish at this course back at the 2013 King’s Cup on the Asian Tour. Last season on the Asian Tour, Lahiri was 111 under par, 36 shots better than anyone else.
Alex Noren
It has been a fairytale comeback for the Swede since returning to full-time action this season, after an on-going wrist injury limited his play last year to just five rounds. A good start to the season in Abu Dhabi has been followed by a ninth place finish in Qatar and an impressive runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy in Dubai. Noren has the second best scoring average this season of players who have played more than ten rounds, behind only Bernd Wiesberger. As for his form in Asia, he has four top seven finishes in his last five Asian Tour starts.
Alejandro Cañizares
The 32 year old Spaniard comes to Thailand in the form of his life. Having picked up his first European Tour title in eight years at the 2014 Trophée Hassan II, Cañizares has continued his good play in 2015. Three top 12 finishes in his four starts this year include a third place finish last week in Malaysia. He is 44 under par for the season after just 16 rounds and ranks fourth on Tour in Putts Per Green In Regulation.
Prom Meesawat
Coming off a good top 25 finish in Malaysia, Meesawat arrives in his home country as the second-highest ranked Thai golfer in to the world, having overtaken Aphibarnrat in December last year. Meesawat finished third on the Asian Tour Order Of Merit last season thanks to a win and six other top ten finishes. Like Lahiri, Meesawat also finished tied third here last year at the Asian Tour’s Kings Cup, the last professional event hosted at Black Mountain Golf Club.
Scott Hend
At 7,400 yards, Black Mountain GC certainly favours longer hitters and they do not come much longer than Scott Hend. The Australian was second only to Nicolas Colsaerts in driving distance last season and picked up his first European Tour title late last year at the Hong Kong Open. He showed good form last week in Malaysia, shooting the third lowest score over the weekend en route to a top 15 finish.
Was that enough to make you change your Fantasy Race To Dubai team? If so, make your changeshere.
