Samui, Thailand: In-form Arnond Vongvanij believes that patience will be the key to victory when he returns to the Queen\u2019s Cup at the ultra-demanding Santiburi Samui Country Club next week.<\/p>\n
The Thai ace hopes to contend for the prestigious title from June 5-8 after finishing runner-up in the popular Asian Tour event last season behind compatriot Prayad Marksaeng.<\/p>\n
The slightly-built 25-year-old is amongst six players from the current top-10 of the Asian Tour\u2019s Order of Merit who have committed to the US$300,000 tournament, which is celebrating its sixth edition.<\/p>\n
Current number one Anirban Lahiri of India, compatriot Rashid Khan, Canadian Richard T. Lee, Korea\u2019s Baek Seuk-hyun and Filipino Antonio Lascuna will be amongst the leading contenders at the Queen\u2019s Cup which is staged in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit.<\/p>\n
Lahiri\u2019s EurAsia Cup teammates – Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, Malaysia\u2019s Nicholas Fung and vice captain Boonchu Ruangkit – will also lend their star credentials at Santiburi Samui, which is located on the holiday isle of Samui.<\/p>\n
Arnond has found his stride it the 2014 season, making five straight cuts and finishing tied second at the ICTSI Philippine Open earlier this month to move up to 10th place on the latest Merit list.<\/p>\n
His solid run of form has given him the impetus to shoot for glory as he seeks a second Asian Tour victory following his maiden success at the 2012 King\u2019s Cup on home soil.<\/p>\n
\u201cI played really well at the Queen\u2019s Cup last year and I almost won it. I\u2019m looking forward to going back there. The golf course doesn\u2019t suit anybody\u2019s game. It is all about being patient, putting the ball at the right spots, being aggressive when you can and defensive for most of the time,\u201d said Arnond.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a really tough golf course. Anything can go wrong on any hole. You just have to stay patient and that\u2019s the key to success. Anytime you win the King or Queen\u2019s trophy, it is very special for Thai players. Every Thai player will try to win the Queen\u2019s Cup next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since bursting onto the Asian Tour scene in 2012, Arnond has made quite an impression on the region\u2019s premier Tour, finishing 18th on the rankings in his rookie season and 24th last year.<\/p>\n
His Thai nickname is \u201cBank\u201d which was given to him as he was born the night after his mother took her final exams for a Masters\u2019 degree in financial banking. Arnond also graduated from the University of Florida with a finance degree, and in three years on the Asian Tour, he has eanred over US$425,000 in prize winnings.<\/p>\n
For him, the chase for silverware remains as his top priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be sweet to do something like what Prayad did (win the Queen\u2019s Cup and King\u2019s Cup). My goal is to stay patient and use my game plan from last year which I hope will continue to bring me success. My game has been steady this season. I\u2019ve been playing well so far but I haven\u2019t pieced four rounds together. Hopefully I can get better,\u201d said Arnond.<\/p>\n
Lahiri, who contributed two points in Asia\u2019s dramatic draw with Europe in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia, will be looking to challenge for a second victory of the year at the Queen\u2019s Cup, which is sponsored by Bangkok Airways and Sports Authority of Thailand.<\/p>\n
In five previous visits to Santiburi Samui, the tenacious 26-year-old has produced four top-10s.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is one of my favourite courses,\u201d enthused Lahiri, who won the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters with a heroic eagle on the 72nd hole last month and has three other top-10s this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the place and enjoy the golf course. It is a tough course. There are a lot of holes where you have to know how to play. Now that I\u2019ve played there four or five times, I\u2019ve gotten more comfortable. It suits me because it is a ball striking golf course. If you hit it good then it will reward you,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Past champions of the Queen\u2019s Cup are Chinnarat Phadungsil of Thailand (2009), Japan\u2019s Tetsuji Hiratsuka of Japan (2010), Thailand\u2019s Chawalit Plaphol (2011), Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand (2012) and Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand (2013).<\/p>\n
Chinnarat, Chawalit and Thaworn will also be in the elite field next week to chase for a second Queen\u2019s Cup title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Samui, Thailand: In-form Arnond Vongvanij believes that patience will be the key to victory when he returns to the Queen\u2019s Cup at the ultra-demanding Santiburi Samui Country Club next week.<\/p>\n
The Thai ace hopes to contend for the prestigious title from June 5-8 after finishing runner-up in the popular Asian Tour event last season behind compatriot Prayad Marksaeng.<\/p>\n
The slightly-built 25-year-old is amongst six players from the current top-10 of the Asian Tour\u2019s Order of Merit who have committed to the US$300,000 tournament, which is celebrating its sixth edition.<\/p>\n
Current number one Anirban Lahiri of India, compatriot Rashid Khan, Canadian Richard T. Lee, Korea\u2019s Baek Seuk-hyun and Filipino Antonio Lascuna will be amongst the leading contenders at the Queen\u2019s Cup which is staged in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit.<\/p>\n
Lahiri\u2019s EurAsia Cup teammates – Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, Malaysia\u2019s Nicholas Fung and vice captain Boonchu Ruangkit – will also lend their star credentials at Santiburi Samui, which is located on the holiday isle of Samui.<\/p>\n
Arnond has found his stride it the 2014 season, making five straight cuts and finishing tied second at the ICTSI Philippine Open earlier this month to move up to 10th place on the latest Merit list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world-golf-news"],"yoast_head":"\n