![\"Kiradech](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kiradech-Aphibarnrat-FEDEX.jpg\")
Jersey City: Thailand\u2019s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is thrilled he is featuring in his first FedExCup Playoffs this week. He only wished he was fully fit.<\/p>\nJersey City: Thailand\u2019s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is thrilled he is featuring in his first FedExCup Playoffs this week. He only wished he was fully fit.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old qualified for US$9.25 million THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first of three Playoffs events starting on Thursday, after finishing in 76th position on the PGA TOUR\u2019s FedExCup points list.<\/p>\n
However, the joy of being amongst the best 125 PGA TOUR golfers at Liberty National Golf Club has been somewhat dampened by a lingering knee injury which he sustained last April.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a frustrating season,\u201d admitted Kiradech today. \u201cAt the halfway point, I was in the 40s on the FedExCup points list and looking at getting into the TOUR Championship. The knee injury slowed me down. Initially I didn\u2019t think it was a big issue but it kept getting worse. My practice has been cut down by more than 50% as I\u2019m trying to save myself for tournament play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Big-hitting Kiradech, the first Thai to hold a PGA TOUR card, needs to break into the top-70 of the points list to advance into next week\u2019s BMW Championship. The best 30 will then tee up in the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship, where a new FedExCup champion will be crowned and walk away with a cool US$15 million bonus. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take it one shot at a time. The goal is to get into next week. Top-30 may be difficult. Even if I was fully fit, it\u2019s not easy against the best players, what more being just half fit. However, I like the way I\u2019m swinging the club but there is a limit when your body is not fit,\u201d said Kiradech.<\/p>\n
He will take a short break from the game to rest his right knee in which he suffered a 20% tear in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Kiradech plans to return during the PGA TOUR\u2019s Asian swing in October, comprising of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in South Korea, inaugural ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan and World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China.<\/p>\n
The longer-term goa though, is for him to shed some 10kg in weight and get his knee stronger through gym work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can get down to 100kg, it should put less pressure on the knee but I\u2019m not sure how it will affect the golf swing,\u201d said Kiradech, who enjoyed three top-5s this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, when I keep playing, the knee starts to hurt and swell up slightly. I\u2019ve got to limit myself. I can\u2019t squat to read the putting lines too much. The doctor has suggested a six to eight-week break but I have no chance to stop as it\u2019s my first season on the PGA TOUR. I\u2019m undergoing various treatments including acupuncture, soft-tissue treatment and chiropractic treatment and it\u2019s helped a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
As one of eight Asians in the FedExCup Playoffs, Kiradech is loving his time at Liberty National Golf Club, which has New York\u2019s stunning Manhattan skyline offering a magnificent backdrop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the golf course, I would say it\u2019s one of the best in the U.S. I like the way it looks, it\u2019s a proper golf course with a mixture of long and short holes. And the views are just amazing,\u201d said Kiradech.<\/p>\n
With two weeks remaining before the top-8 players for both the United States and International Teams are finalised for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia in December, Kiradech also faces an uphill task to make his debut appearance under captain Ernie Els after slipping down into 20th position.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no excuses. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m good enough at this time. You want the top players to play against the U.S. After the top-8 are picked, I will have three months to improve my knee and my game. If I can play well during the Asian Swing, then maybe Ernie might see something. Match play is my kind of game. I just need to get fit.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jersey City: Thailand\u2019s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is thrilled he is featuring in his first FedExCup Playoffs this week. He only wished he was fully fit.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old qualified for US$9.25 million THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first of three Playoffs events starting on Thursday, after finishing in 76th position on the PGA TOUR\u2019s FedExCup points list.<\/p>\n
However, the joy of being amongst the best 125 PGA TOUR golfers at Liberty National Golf Club has been somewhat dampened by a lingering knee injury which he sustained last April.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf-golf"],"yoast_head":"\n