Discounting Tiger Woods’ Thai heritage and Vijay Singh’s Fijian-ness, no Asian has ever won a major tournament.
However, there are at least three golfers from different parts of the continent in the field for this week’s US Masters in Augusta hoping to break that duck.
From the sub-continent, we have Jeev Milkha Singh, son of former Indian Olympic sprinter Milkha Singh. He certainly has the game, having previously won on the European Tour, including tournaments outside Asia.
Then there is the Southeast Asian representative,Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng. He would, of course, like to win at Augusta but his target is more realistic, that of finishing all four rounds.
There is also East Asian Liang Wen-chong, last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, who is only the second Chinese golfer to play at the Masters.
Jeev Milkha Singh
Jeev is making his second straight Masters appearance and has landed British Open champion Padraig Harrington and 2003 Masters champ Mike Weir in his first two flights.
Last year, he finished 37th and is hoping to better that performance this week. Jeev is one of the pioneers of Indian professional golf, which is producing quality players faster than any other country in Asia.
Jeev finished tied for 39th at the recent Houston Open, He told the Asian Tour’s website:
“I’m really excited. In Padraig and Mike, they are two nice guys. I’ve played with them often enough and I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great feeling, the second time my dream has come true. I qualified for the Masters last year and now I couldn’t have asked for a better invite in my life. I’m really excited to be here. The golf course is in excellent condition and I’m looking forward to a good week.â€
Prayad Marksaeng
Prayad is the third Thai to be playing in the Masters following Sukree Onsham and Thongchai Jaidee. The 42-year-old is hoping to perform well at Augusta in memory of mentor Supphaphorn Maphungphong, who passed away in November.
Supphaporn was considered the grandfather of golf in Thailand, which has produced many top-class golfers over the years.
Just two weeks after he died, Prayad won the Asian Tour’s season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok and dedicated the victory to Supphaporn. He said:
“It wasn’t only my dream to play in the Masters, it was also Supphaphorn’s dream. He was my mentor and he always looked after me. I will do my best for myself and for Supphaporn as I want him to be proud of me. He loved me a lot and I will try to make him proud. If I look up to the skies, I’m sure he’s watching.â€
Liang Wen-chong
Liang had a practice round with three-time Masters champion Gary Player earlier in the week and he is hoping to use some of the South African great’s tips during in Augusta.
Like Prayad, Liang is hoping to play all four rounds at the Masters, and become the first Chinese golfer to do so. In the first two rounds, he will be playing with Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal and South African Rory Sabbatini.
Liang earned his place in the Masters after finishing on top of the 2007 Asian Order of Merit standings. He has shown encouraging form of late, finishing joint 12th at the recent Zurich Classic. He said:
“I played with Mr Gary Player, who is playing his 51st Masters and he was so relaxed and humorous. We saw each other last week and he invited me to play a practice round here. He taught me a lot through his experiences of playing here. I’m very thankful that Mr Player took the time to play with me and teach me a few things.â€
We will leave the last word to Gary Player himself, who is delighted to see the Masters attracting a diverse playing field, especially with players from Asia.
“I’ve always been very global in my thinking and my business and to see a young man from India and China out here, that’s what we have to do. Golf brings people together and it’s magnificent. Liang was so well mannered, so humble and I was able to give him a couple of little tips about the golf course.â€
