Published July 17, 2008 on July 12, 2018

Thai’s Danthai Makes Major Debut

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Thai rising star Danthai Boonma is proud to represent his country when he makes his Major debut at The 147th Open at Carnoustie next week.

The 22-year-old Danthai earned a spot in golf’s oldest Major championship after finishing tied-fourth at the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open in January, which was part of The Open Qualifying Series.

He will be flying the Thailand flag alongside Jazz Janewattananond and Kiradech Aphibarnrat in the year’s third Major at the Carnoustie Golf Links from July 19 to 22.

Danthai, who won his first Asian Tour title in 2015, is delighted to be part of the elite field. He is among the eight Asian Tour debutants playing at The Open.

“Ever since I started playing golf, I have seen Thai players representing our country at The Open every year. Whenever I see the Thailand flag flying at the event on television, I will hope that I can also represent my country at The Open one day. I feel proud to be able to fulfil that dream this year.

“Playing in a Major championship is the dream of many players, including myself. The experience will help a lot in my game. It’s a great opportunity as I get to play alongside the top golfers in the world. There are a lot of things for me to learn so I am very excited about that,” said Danthai, a double gold medalist at the 2012 South East Asia (SEA) Games.

He missed out on his second Asian Tour victory at the Sarawak Championship last week but Danthai was pleased to secure back-to-back top-10 results before playing at The Open.

“Winning in 2015 has given me a lot of confidence. My mental game has improved a lot. I can manage my expectations better and have fun on the golf course at the same time now. I tend to play better when I don’t put so much pressure on myself.

“I heard a few things about the course from Prom Meesawat, who has played there in 2016. He told me that the bunkers and the winds will make it really tough so I have been practising hard, working on shots which might be helpful on a links course. No matter what happens, it will be a good experience for sure,” added the cheerful Thai.

Danthai, who turned professional in 2014, will also have his family for support at Carnoustie next week.

“I will arrive in Edinburgh on Saturday and my parents will fly over the next day. I’m happy my parents can watch me play in my first ever Major championship. They will be proud of me,” said the young Thai.

Malaysia’s Gavin Green, who sealed his place at The Open by winning the prestigious Merit title last season, will spearhead the Asian Tour charge alongside two-time winner Shubhankar Sharma of India, who leads the current Habitat for Humanity Standings.

2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Anirban Lahiri of India will also feature in The 147th Open at Carnoustie alongside England’s Matt Wallace, Korea’s Sanghyun Park and Minchel Choi, South African Shaun Norris as well as Japan’s Yuta Ikeda, Masahiro Kawamura, Kodai Ichihara, Masanori Kobayashi and Hideto Tanihara, all members of the Asian Tour.