Arnond gears up for title defence at King's Cup tournament in Hua Hin

Arnond gears up for title defence at King's Cup tournament in Hua Hin

HUA HIN : Arnond Vongvanij is buoyant about heading to the coastal town to defend his title when the US$1 million King's Cup Golf Hua Hin tees off at the Black Mountain Golf Club from Jan 16-19.

Arnond Vongvanij

Slightly over 12 months ago, Arnond savoured the winning feeling for the first time on the Asian Tour when he pipped veterans Mardan Mamat of Singapore and Thai compatriot Thaworn Wiratchant to the prestigious King's Cup title.

Playing on the Asian Tour for the second consecutive year since turning professional in 2011, the 25-year-old is looking forward to a strong defence at one of Thailand's most prestigious sporting events which recently inked a five-year agreement with the Asian Tour.

"This will be my first time defending a title and I guess I'm just going to enjoy that experience," said Arnond.

Arnond's career breakthrough in 2012 has given him the self-belief that he can go on to rival the best players in the region and win many more tournaments.

"I feel like I'm learning a lot and it's starting to show. Once you win, you feel like you've accomplished something that everyone on the Asian Tour wants to do," said Arnond.

"Obviously, you want to continue winning and it's definitely a nice stepping stone in my career."

While he has benefited immensely from his career breakthrough on the Asian Tour, Arnond is hoping to end his 2013 season - the King's Cup forms part of the 2013 schedule - on a high note having endured several rough patches last year.

"My win gave me the opportunity to play in the bigger events like the co-sanctioned ones where I definitely gained lots of experience and I've benefited a lot from that," said Arnond.

"Last year was a little disappointing. I hit the ball a lot better than the previous year but the putts just wouldn't drop. I was battling with Prayad [Marksaeng] at the Queen's Cup but I wished I could have been in contention a little bit more."

Like other players who ply their trade on the Asian Tour, Arnond knows he has the opportunity to improve his game and become better.

"The tournaments here are growing and the Asian Tour is growing. A lot of big-name players are coming over to play on the Asian Tour and that has given us the opportunity to play with them and learn. It's a huge step for us," said Arnond.

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