Young Phachara one to watch after impressive Hua Hin win

Young Phachara one to watch after impressive Hua Hin win

Fourteen-year-old Thai prodigy upstages more experienced opponents to cap rapid rise

Phachara Khongwatmai could be Thailand's answer to China's Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old who became the youngest player to have made the cut at the Masters this year.

Phachara Khongwatmai with his parents after winning the Hua Hin Open title last Sunday.

Phachara, a few months younger than the Chinese prodigy, was the youngest winner of a professional golf tournament with his four-stroke triumph at the Hua Hin Open last Sunday.

The Hua Hin Open may be a small tournament _ an All Thailand Tour event sanctioned by the Asean PGA Tour _ but a number of Thailand's top players took part.

At the age of 14 years, two months and 18 days, Phachara defeated the likes of Prom Meesawat, who finished joint second, and Prayad Marksaeng in the US$65,000 tournament.

He was younger than the previous record-holders, Japan's Ryo Ishikawa who was 15 when he won the 2007 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup on the Japan Golf Tour and New Zealand's Lydio Ko, who was 14 years, nine months and five days when she won the 2012 New South Wales Open.

Phachara, who turned 14 in May, triumphed in only his fourth attempt playing among the pros _ and after taking up the sport five years ago.

"I am really, really happy to win against so many top players," said Phachara, who had to play the qualifying tournament for a place in the event.

Chinese prodigy Guan Tianlang.

"My putting was the key and I also worked very hard with my caddie. We planned everything carefully."

Prom, 29, said: "It is amazing to see a kid play like that. I had a bogey-free round but look at what he did."

Phachara was introduced to golf when he was a 9-year-old Grade Four student at Pholwittaya school in Songkhla's Hat Yai district. He was good at both golf and tennis and was asked by the school to choose one and he selected golf, although father Berksak and mother Pannee have never played the sport.

He made rapid progress and two years later started playing at the junior level in the South.

After completing his primary school, he moved to Kittivit bilingual school, also in Hat Yai, so he would have more time to play golf after classes.

"He does well in every sport he plays but he enjoys playing golf the most," Pannee said. "He drives about 280 yards on average but his strong point is his short game and putting."

Pannee and her husband are very happy and surprised by their son's progress.

"We have never given him advice on golf because we do not play golf," Pannee said. "We can only tell him to calm down when things go wrong."

Phachara, who likes England's Luke Donald, admitted he did not expect he would achieve success so soon.

He planned to gain experience on the All Thailand Tour for at least two years before turning professional. His parents also initially planned for him to turn pro one he is 15 but they may now think 'if you are good enough, you are old enough'.

"With the win and right to play on the tour until 2015, he may turn pro later this year," Berksak said. "We don't know how long he will keep his amateur status. But I think with the win, he is ready to turn pro and play on the pro circuit."

Rungsrid Luxitanond, president of the Thailand Golf Association, said he welcomed Phachara to the national team.

Phachara, who is 1.79m tall and weighs 63kg, will not play in the SEA Games later this year because he did not take part in the qualifying tournaments.

"We welcome him to play in the qualifying tournaments for the 2014 Asian Games," Rungsrid said.

But Berksak has another idea: "We can represent the country in another way _ that is by playing as a pro."

Phachara will compete at the Chiang Mai Open from Aug 8-11 as an amateur but his status may change after the tournament.

Phachara in action in Hua Hin.

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