Pattaya: If there is one player who could steal the thunder of the teenagers on the Asian Tour this week at the US$750,000 Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge at Siam Country Club, then look no further than in-form American Paul Peterson.
The lefthander, with the purest of golf swings, claimed joint third place on Sunday in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup -- sensationally won by 15-year-old Ratchanon "TK" Chantananuwat -- for yet another fine finish in 2022.
He was equal fifth in the International Series Thailand last month and the Singapore International in January, and sits in sixth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
"We are on the precipice of something really good," said the 33-year-old from Arizona who also has not missed the cut on the Asian Tour since the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup in May of 2019.
"I have been working on some things on my swing to minimise some of the curve that happens for me, so little bit technical stuff. I had some good feelings with the putter last week. I didn't feel like I hit a bad putt," he said.
He was paired with Thailand's Ratchanon in the penultimate group on Sunday at Siam Country Club and just as the teenage amateur was starting to pull away the American gave him a fright when he holed his bunker shot on 16 for a birdie to close the gap to two.
He finished three strokes behind Ratchanon and one behind second place Kim Joo-Hyung of South Korea.
Both Ratchanon and 19-year-old Kim also compete this week.
Like last week, this week's event, which tees off today, is also being jointly sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour (LET) and is being played on Siam Country Club's Waterside Course.
"I did play in a mixed event in Northern Ireland where it was kind of two events in one. But the ladies in the first couple days here last week were great. They're really nice ladies and it's fun to watch them play," said Peterson, who has won the 2018 Myanmar Open on the Asian Tour and the 2016 Czech Masters on the European Tour.
The Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge will use the Modified Stableford scoring format, which encourages aggressive play.
Unlike traditional scoring methods, where the aim is to have the lowest score, the objective in a Modified Stableford tournament is to have the highest score.
Modified Stableford awards points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole: albatross 8 points, eagle 5 points, birdie 2 points, par 0 points, bogey -1 point, and double bogey or more -3 points.
The strategy in Modified Stableford formats can, in most instances, be summed up in three words: "Go for it."
This scoring format will reward risk-taking on the golf course.