Pariya Junhasavasdikul
Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul is determined to exceed his own expectations again and believes that this week’s season-opening Avantha Masters will provide the perfect platform to kickstart his title ambitions.
It was a season to remember for the 26-year-old Thai last year when he claimed his maiden Asian Tour title at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and registered five other top-10s, including a tied-second finish at the King’s Cup in Thailand.
This year, Pariya hopes to achieve his targets in a similar way beginning at this week’s €1.8 million (approximately US$2.3 million) showpiece which will tee off at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Thursday
“I definitely want to win some bigger tournaments and move up the world rankings. That’s pretty much my goal for the year. I hope to play some events outside of Asia too and hopefully win something,” said the rising Thai star.
“It’s a new season and it’s going to be a new challenge. Last year, I set my goals to finish inside the top-65 and I exceeded that halfway through the season. Hopefully I can do it like last year, achieve my goals right before half the season is through,” said Pariya, who graduated from Purdue University in the United States with a pre-law bachelors degree and minored in aviation management.
Despite having been discharged from the hospital recently, Pariya, like his flying interest where he has chalked over 100 hours of flying time, wants to soar up the leaderboard and stay in contention for his second Asian Tour win this week.
“I just came out of hospital a few days ago as I had a pretty bad fever. Right now, I just hope to recover in time and be in better shape when the tournament starts,” said Pariya.
“Technique wise, after working with my coach on my body angle, I’ve everything in place and will try to tighten up all the loose ends that were giving me some problems at the end of last year. Everything should be in position now,” added Pariya.
Meanwhile India’s C.Muniyappa is seeking to end his two-year title drought since his last victory at the Hero Honda Indian Open in 2009.
It was at the DLF Golf and Country Club two years old that the 34-year-old achieved much fame after he emerged victorious in a play-off against Korea's Lee Sung.
Returning to the scene of his famous victory , Muniyappa knows he can relieve those winning memories if he plays true to form.
“I like this golf course as I’ve won here before and I know how to play well here. I feel that I’m ready and I hope to achieve more success on the Asian Tour this season,” said Muniyappa.
