Boonchu Ruangkit’s closing round of 65 in the OKI Castellón Senior Tour Championship highlighted exactly why the Thai finished 2010 as the Number One player on the European Senior Tour.
Fearless and unrelenting when a trophy is within his grasp, Ruangkit was anointed as the new Order of Merit Champion in Spain following the type of charge that has characterised his splendid rookie campaign.
It might not have led to a fifth Senior Tour title but Ruangkit’s tied eighth place at Club de Campo del Mediterráneo was ultimately enough to earn him an even grander prize, as the 54 year old succeed former Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance as recipient of the John Jacobs Trophy.
Knowing that South African Chris Williams could have denied him the Number One spot with victory in Spain, or even second place had Ruangkit finished outside the top 28, he produced nine birdies to surge through the field and end a year that began with victory in Brunei on yet another high.
Ruangkit’s magnificent finale capped a spectacular season which saw him win four times and rewrite the Senior Tour record books, ending the year with earnings of €266,609 and the respect of all of his illustrious peers.
“I’m so proud to follow great players like Ian Woosnam and Sam Torrance as the winner of the John Jacobs Trophy,” said Ruangkit. ““This is a big moment for me in my career. Sam and Ian are big names and it’s great that a Thai player can come and win like this on the European Senior Tour.”
He may have started the year as a relative unknown in Europe, but it took little time for the man known as the Godfather of Thai golf to introduce himself, as he exploded onto the scene by winning on his first outing of the season as a sponsors invite in the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum.
If that was impressive better still was to follow as, buoyed by his maiden senior win, Ruangkit strolled to the title by a record margin of 11 shots in the next event, in front of home support in the Change Thailand Senior Masters presented by ISPS.
His 21 under par total of 195 was also the lowest in Senior Tour history as he hit the top of the Order of Merit, having become a member of the Senior Tour following his Brunei victory, which did not count towards the money list.
Ruangkit then completed a remarkable hat-trick when he recovered from a second round 78 to win the Berenberg Bank Masters in South Africa, holding off the formidable challenge of Torrance.
A second place finish in the Handa Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum hinted that Ruangkit would also be a force on European soil and he followed that with a top 20 finish in the US PGA Championship.
Further top ten finishes came in the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open (tied third) and the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters (tied seventh), before he placed one hand on the Order of Merit crown with his fourth win of the season in the Benahavis Senior Masters in October.
Ruangkit returned to Spain to complete the job in the OKI Castellón Senior Tour Championship, eventually finish a fine campaign €39,259 clear of his nearest rival Chris Williams – a margin that would have been even greater had his prize money of €44, 332 from Brunei counted.
“I had a great start to the year but then I was concerned about the weather in Europe,” he said. “I don’t like the cold very much but whenever the weather was good I played well.
“I was very pleased to get the job done in Spain and win the John Jacobs Trophy. It was a good battle with Chris but I was very happy to do it.
“I had no expectations coming into this season, I just wanted to play well. I thought I could maybe win once but I never thought I could do it four times. This has been the best year of my career.”
Ruangkit, who turned professional at the age of 30 after abandoning a career as a kickboxer, becomes the sixth rookie to win the Senior Tour Order of Merit, following John Fourie (1992), Jon Morgan (1994), Brian Barnes (1995), Carl Mason (2003) and Ian Woosnam (2008).
He also follows Tommy Horton (1996 and 1997), Carl Mason (2003, 2004 and 2007) and Sam Torrance (2006) to win the Order of Merit with at least four victories
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, paid tribute to Ruangkit’s remarkable 2010 season after he became the 11th different winner of the Senior Tour Order of Merit.
“Boonchu is undoubtedly a worthy winner of the John Jacobs Trophy given his remarkable performances in Brunei, Thailand, South Africa and Spain this season,” he said.
“Given the truly international nature of the European Senior Tour and its membership, it is highly appropriate that Boonchu should be the first Asian winner of a European Order of Merit.
“He follows some great names in Carl Mason, Ian Woosnam and Sam Torrance onto the famous trophy following a year that has seen him rewrite the record books.”
