Asian Tour Yearbook: 2023

Y E A NGDER T PC L I N KO U I N T E R N AT I ON A L GO L F & CO U N T RY C L U B | S E P T EM B E R 2 1 - 2 4 , 2 0 2 3 | P R I Z E MON E Y U S $ 7 5 0 , 0 0 0 Poom Saksansin’s [LEFT AND FAR RIGHT] win in Chinese-Taipei was his first Asian Tour victory in five years. E very win evokes special feelings and memories for the champion. For Thailand’s Poom Saksansin, his triumph in the 2023 Yeangder TPC was perhaps the most meaningful of his career. “I don’t know what to say! Happy is all I can say. I’m so lucky today. I played well and had some good luck,” was the 30-year-old’s instant assessment of his overdue success at Chinese Taipei’s Linkou International Golf & Country Club. With a closing six-under-par 66 for a stunning 24-under aggregate of 264, Poom ended three strokes clear of second-placed Australian Travis Smyth, who’d been bidding to become the event’s first back- to-back winner. It may have been the fourth Asian Tour title that Poom had secured, but the fact that it enabled him to end a five-year victory drought made it especially sweet. That his caddie for the week was his fiancee Piyatida, or ‘Ing Ing’ as she’s affectionately known, added an extra layer of significance and emotion. A fortnight earlier, ‘Ing Ing’ had been on Poom’s bag at the Singha Bangkok Open on Thailand’s domestic circuit. Victory appeared to be within the Thai player’s grasp until an unfortunate stumble on the penultimate hole which saw him drop into joint second spot. “Two weeks ago, I almost won on the All Thailand Golf Tour. I had a good chance to win but I three-putted 17. She (‘Ing Ing’) cried and I felt guilty,” said Poom. “To win here makes her feel successful. I think this time she’s going to forget that moment (in Bangkok).” Finding form again after a barren period was a timely boost for Poom and his mindset. Since his previous Asian Tour victories – BNI Indonesian Masters in 2016 and 2018 and TAKE Solutions Masters in India in 2017 – Poom’s anxieties about having to make cuts, week-in, week-out, weighed heavily on his mind, even prompting him to talk about giving up tournament golf. All it needed to turn things around was a couple of good weeks consecutively, restoring his confidence and proving the catalyst for a fabulous run that would see him finish in the top-three in his next two Asian Tour assignments. He also attributed his improvement to a new and more relaxed regimen. “I think because I am playing less golf now, HAPPY DAYS RETURN FOR THAI POOM SMYTH CONTINUES LINKOU LOVE AFFAIR 102