Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat is ready to fight and save his PGA Tour career at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, a three-tournament series that will award 25 PGA Tour cards starting today.
This will be the second successive year the 33-year-old will face the pressure of PGA Tour survival after finishing a lowly 190th on the FedEx Cup standings, well outside the top-125 required to retain playing rights on the circuit.
A tied 13th finish at the Wyndham Championship, the final tournament of the PGA Tour's regular season two weeks ago, where he produced cards of 65 and 63 in the second and third rounds, has given him some self-belief ahead of a crucial next few weeks.
Kiradech also reunited with his first ever caddie from Thailand, Prajak Khaoprathum, who flew out to the US to carry his bag at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last month which snapped a run of five straight missed cuts.
The Korn Ferry Tour Finals begins today with the Albertsons Boise Open at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho.
"One thing I need to do is just go out there and play again. I was about to give up, so I've got nothing to lose. If I don't get it [PGA Tour card], I can go back to Europe or Asia. If I get it back, it'll be a bonus. I'm not forcing myself. Will just go out and play my own game. I just want to feel comfortable," said Kiradech.
Ranked as high as 29th in the world previously, Kiradech, who holds four victories on the DP World Tour, started playing full time on the PGA Tour in 2019 but a knee injury led to a big dip in form which also dented his confidence greatly.
He said he was on the verge of giving up his American dream this season after missing nine cuts from 19 starts but a commendable outing at Wyndham, and with close friend Prajak back by his side, changed his mind.
"I was ready to go home, to be honest," said Kiradech, who has nine career top-10s from 104 PGA Tour starts.
"I felt like I would give up on the PGA Tour and staying in the US. When I walk out of my house, it feels like I'm on my own, and I couldn't speak the same language with my American caddies.
"Then when I got my first Thai caddie to come out here, I thought let's give it another shot at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals."
Kiradech feels his ball-striking has improved vastly over the last few weeks, but knows his putter must work like a magic wand if he is to succeed in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
Kiradech finished T20, T34 and T27 in the three tournaments in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals last season to grab the 21st card available for the PGA Tour.