Asian Tour Yearbook: 2023

Sarit Suwannarut’s (LEFT AND FAR RIGHT] victory was his second Asian Tour win and also second success on The International Series. O n countless occasions, it’s been proved that a good week with the flatstick can be the difference between making the cut or missing out on the weekend action; or emerging triumphant rather than having to settle for a minor placing. Sarit Suwannarut could not have chosen a more appropriate week for his fortunes on the greens to turn for the better. At the Volvo China Open, the 25-year-old Thai celebrated a reunification with an old putter which had served himwell in the past by storming to an unlikely six-stroke victory. By his own admission, Sarit’s expectations were lowwhen he arrived at Shenzhen’s Hidden Grace Golf Club for the US$1.5million event that was being played on the Asian Tour for the first time since 2019, and was part of The International Series. After a promising 2022 campaign when he won the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE and finished 10th on the Order of Merit, Sarit suffered a monumental downturn. “I knew this year would be up and down. I just didn’t expect it to go that low,” said Sarit, who had missed six cuts in 13 events prior to the Volvo China Open. His sole top- 20 came at the Mandiri Indonesia Open in early August where he tied for ninth. Not even that performance could spark an upswing in his fortunes, early exits at the Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei and the SJM Macao Open prompting another bout of soul-searching. Before heading to China three weeks later, Sarit made two decisions that would prove fundamental to improving his outlook and his game. Firstly, to clear his mind, Sarit escaped to Japan for a family holiday. “The vacation helped a lot. I took a week off from golf as this year has been tough. I really wanted time with my family and got it. I needed that and after I got back, I found something with my coach,” he said. Secondly, he opted to go back to using the putter he used in winning the previous year’s Indonesian Masters, his first victory on the Asian Tour. “At the start of the year I had an injury, SARIT PUTTS THE LIGHTS OUT IN CHINA STRUGGLING THAI DEFIES FORMBOOK 122 VOLVO CH I NA OPEN H I D D E N G R A C E GO L F C L U B | NOV EM B E R 2 - 5 , 2 0 2 3 | P R I Z E MON E Y U S $ 1 . 5 M I L L I ON