Darren Clarke is expecting a productive week when he joins the fifth Thailand Golf Championship at Amata Spring Country Club in Chon Buri from Dec 10-13.
Darren Clarke.
As the captain for the European team both at the Ryder Cup in the US and the EurAsia Cup in Malaysia next year, the 47-year-old wants to use the Thailand Golf Championship to assess the form of a number of his potential players, as well as that of representatives from the two teams who will be opposing Europe.
"It is going to be extra special as it gives me a chance to talk and spend time with the likes of Lee [Westwood], Sergio [Garcia], Martin [Kaymer] and Thomas [Bjorn] and to get their input, while at the same time seeing how the Asian guys are performing," said Clarke, who will play at the TGC tournament for the fourth time.
"[Thais] Thongchai [Jaidee] and Kiradech [Aphibarnrat] have obviously been playing some great golf — and I'm sure they'll be a feature of the Asian side in a couple of months’ time in Kuala Lumpur — so I'm hoping to take away some insights that we can use to our advantage."
Meanwhile, the second True Thailand Classic will be held at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin from March 10-13 next year.
Co-sanctioned by European Tour and Asian Tour, the tournament is now a part of the 2016 European Tour calendar which features 45 events in 26 countries.
This year's inaugural event was won by Andrew Dodt who beat Scott Hend and Thongchai by one shot.