Crans Montana: Thai hotshot Pavit Tangkamolprasert hopes to rediscover his best golf at the Omega European Masters which starts today.
Pavit aims to put his experience of playing in Europe to good use when he makes his debut at the event, which is the only tournament on European soil to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
The 28-year-old Pavit will feature in the Swiss showpiece alongside compatriots Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and another debutant Phachara Khongwatmai, who won the pro-am on Monday at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.
Placed 61st on the money list, Pavit hopes a strong showing at the €2.7-million (108 million baht) event will provide a spring in his step in his quest to challenge for a second Asian Tour title and first in Europe.
"I have been playing in Europe for a while now and this is the first time I feel that a golf course in Europe has such resemblance to the ones that I play in Asia. The layout of this course feels similar to the one at the Hong Kong Golf Club. The previous few courses that I have played in Europe are all wide and windy," Pavit said.
"I am feeling confident for this week. I like the layout and I sense some familiarity as it's similar to the ones we get in Asia. I am used to playing in the cold now after playing a handful of tournaments in Europe. I only made two cuts so far in Europe but I learned a lot from my experiences. I hope to put that to good use this week."
He added: "I like this course. If I can stay true to my good form this week, I should be able to do well. The target is to finish inside the top 20. I hit some good shots in the pro-am yesterday. I think I just need to manage the distances better.
"The focus will be back on the Asian Tour for the rest of the season. This week will be a good opportunity for me to get off to a good start for the remainder of the season.
"A good result will be a great boost of confidence for me to prepare for my title defence in Macao next month."
In-form SSP Chawrasia of India will continue his chase for a first title on European soil.
The 39-year-old has won six times on the Asian Tour and out of which, four were events co-sanctioned with the European Tour in India.
Chawrasia, however, has never win on European soil in his 20-year career.
"The conditions are excellent and I'm feeling good. I played well in Denmark a couple of weeks back. Hopefully it will be a good week!" he said.
Other notable players in the field include title-holder Alex Noren of Sweden, American David Lipsky, England's Danny Willett, Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood, and reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Scott Hend from Australia, who was a runner-up last year.