Linkou, Chinese Taipei, October 3: Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond is determined to get back to his winning ways at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) which starts on Thursday.

The 22-year-old came up short after being in contention last week but is confident of redeeming himself and stake his claim for a place in Malaysia next week when the US$500,000 event gets underway.

Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih, who remains the only local to have won the Yeangder TPC in 2011, will be hoping to put a dent in Jazz’s title ambitions as the thought of bringing home the trophy is firmly etched on his mind.

Lu believes the course familiarity of the Linkou International Golf and Country Club will be advantageous for the local players and could prove decisive in reclaiming the Yeangder TPC, which is celebrating its ninth edition this week.

India’s Viraj Madappa is looking forward to post a stellar result away from home despite having missed three consecutive cuts since his maiden Asian Tour victory in August.

Encouraged by his breakthrough at home two months ago, Madappa is still feeling confident of going head-to-head against the best players on the Asian Tour.

Did you know?

• Jazz Janewattananond claimed his second Asian Tour victory at the Queen’s Cup on home soil in June.
• The 22-year-old Thai went on to make his Major debut at The Open at Carnoustie.
• Despite being placed 15th on the current Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, Jazz still has a good chance of qualifying for next week’s CIMB Classic if he can break into top-10 with a good result this week.
• Lu Wei-chih is a four-time Asian Tour winner. His fourth win at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2016 was also his first in four years since he underwent a surgery to remove a brain tumour.
• When he won the Yeangder TPC in 2011, he battled back from a five-shot deficit. It was his last win after being diagnosed with a tumour in his brain.
• He never thought he could play golf again after his surgery but was encouraged by his family and friends to continue playing.
• Viraj Madappa became the youngest Indian player to win on the Asian Tour after lifting the 2018 TAKE Solutions Masters trophy in August.
• He won at the age of 20 years and nine months, breaking the previous record set by Gaganjeet Bhullar, who was 21 years and three months old when he won his first Asian Tour title at the 2009 Indonesia President Invitational.
• Madappa is also the youngest winner on the Asian Tour this season.
• Madappa, who turned professional in 2017, made the grade in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January. He is the first rookie to win on the Asian Tour this season.

Players’ Quotes

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha)

I really got it up there last week especially the first three days. I was still looking good on the front-nine on the last day but then it all fell apart on the last nine holes. But this week is a redemption week for me as I know it can be redeemed. You can say it’s a top-10 finish and a good week but I feel I can play so much better than that. I like this golf course. I was in the final group two years ago and I know how to play this golf course. I have a good track record here and I’ll use that to my advantage.

Lu Wei-chih (Tpe)

This event obviously brings back lots of good memories as I repaid the faith in my sponsor by winning this event in 2011.  It’s nice knowing I’m the only local winner for this event since it was established and obviously I hope we can wrestle the trophy back to get it on home soil this week. I’ve played at Linkou so many times and I’m very familiar with this golf course. It all comes down to your mental state of mind and form when the tournament gets underway.

Viraj Madappa (Ind)

I’ve been getting into a lot more tournaments with better field. It has been exciting playing with all these some of these top professionals from Asia. It allows me to see where my game stands. I haven’t been playing as well as I have the last couple of weeks but I’m still excited and confident about my game. I feel like I’ve learnt a lot this whole year despite all these missed cuts. But I still feel I’ve the game to finish really high this week. This course really rewards good ball striking, the greens are tricky to read and it will be anyone’s game this week. I’m really close to a couple of guys like Rahil and S.S.P. I’ve got close to Shiv and other Indians like Gaganjeet who have really helped me throughout the year. They have helped me with my mental state and they have played a big part in helping me feel comfortable on Tour.

Ends.