Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

Relieved, revived but running on empty Exhausted Thai star wins after nine weeks on the road J ust two months before the Asian Tour staged the inaugural and historic International Series Morocco, the North African nation had grabbed the attention of the golfing world when their very own Ines Laklalech won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France – becoming the first Moroccan, Arab and North African woman to win on the Ladies European Tour. It was a landmark moment for the continent and in many ways a perfectly timed Amuse-Bouche for the Asian Tour’s first visit to North Africa. The Tour did not know what to expect when heading to Rabat but after spending a week there the overwhelming desire by the membership to return to Morocco’s capital city summed up everyone’s feelings. The warm hospitality and colonial charm of the city and Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, the famous host venue, were welcomed by all and sundry, especially a certain Jazz Janewattananond. The Thai star had not won a title since his memorable 2019 season when he claimed the Asian Tour Order of Merit following four eye- catching victories, the last of those being the Thailand Masters in December. That was supposed to be the season that launched his career but proved to be the start of one Jazz Janewattananond and his girlfriend, fellow professional golfer, and caddie for the week Sarina Schmidt enjoy that winning feeling (FAR LEFT), and Jazz (ABOVE) in action during the closing stages. 109 This was my first time in Morocco and the city of Rabat has been amazing – the culture, the food. the people, everything. I heard a lot about this golf course already from people I play with, and I knew it was going to be hard, but it’s exceeded all my expectations. -JAZZ JANEWATTANANOND of his most difficult periods, not helped by the many disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the lead up to Morocco, Jazz had been playing week in, week out, with few breaks, searching for the form that brought him so much success three years before. He certainly found what he was looking for in Rabat when he won the tournament but his comments four weeks later at the season- ending Indonesian Masters, where he was also in contention before finishing joint sixth, summed up his feelings. “I’m fresh now because I had three weeks off before coming in here, but when I played Morocco, or the weeks before that, I was so out of it,” he said. I N T E R N AT I O N A L S E R I E S M O R O C C O ROYA L GO LF DAR E S SA L AM , R ABAT | NOVEMB E R 3 - 6 , 2022 | P R IZE MON E Y US$1 . 5 M I L LI ON