Thailand's Prom Meesawat has returned from a taxing few months in Japan in order to make a splash in Phuket when the Asian Tour restarts its 2020-21 season next month.
The two-time Asian Tour winner has entered both the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship and Laguna Phuket Championship -- two back-to-back US$1 million events dubbed the "Asian Tour's Phuket Series".
The former will be played at Blue Canyon Country Club from Nov 25-28, while the latter will be staged at Laguna Golf Phuket from Dec 2-5.
Prom returned from Japan just over a week ago and did his quarantine in the Phuket Sandbox, which gave him the freedom to play at the two courses twice.
"I hadn't played Blue Canyon since the 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic," said Prom, who took part in a virtual press conference for the Asian Tour Phuket Series yesterday.
"Not much has changed in the Canyon course. It's always a good course. It's going to be fun. You really need to be careful with your tee shots as it is tree lined. Also, I hadn't played Laguna Phuket since the Thailand Open in 2009. They have changed a lot of greens there. It's quite tricky and small with slopes but still there are a lot of birdie opportunities."
Prom is dubbed the "Big Dolphin" due to his burly frame coupled with the fact that he hails from the seaside town of Hua Hin.
Prom took him full five months -- the end of last year and beginning of 2021 -- to recover from a ruptured appendix.
He said he was playing really well until the time he headed for Japan last month. However, the trip proved to be a disappointment. "It is difficult to find a place to practice there, so after tournaments there would be no practice for three days and my game dropped. It was quite a difficult time in Japan. And the courses are quite tight and narrow," the Thai star said.
"I still did ok but not as good as I had expected. Even though I have a good short game, the grass is different there and I needed more time to practice on it."
Upon hearing that the Asian Tour was due to restart, the 37-year-old decided to pack up and head home.
Added Prom: "I felt it made sense to go back and prepare for the Phuket Series. I think it was a good idea for me to do that."
This week he will also attempt to win the Pattaya Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour for an astonishing fifth time, before playing in the Thailand Open -- which his father Suthep Meesawat won in 1991 -- and the Esan Open.
"I have three weeks in a row, then two weeks off before Phuket," said Prom, who has also lost in three play-offs on the Asian Tour. "It's good that I have a couple of tournaments to prepare for the Phuket Series. It's such a good sign that the Asian Tour is back.
"I know we still have to worry about Covid, but everyone is looking forward to going back and seeing each other. It is very positive that the tour is back and will get strong again."
Jazz Janewattananond, the Asian Tour's 2019 Order of Merit champion, has confirmed he will compete in the Phuket events.
The Thai, currently in fifth place on the money list, is vying to become the first player in Asian Tour history to clinch back-to-back Merit crowns.
The Phuket tournaments are backed by the Tourism and Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of Thailand. After the Phuket Series, the Asian Tour is planning to conduct two events in Singapore in January.