Thaworn Wiratchant (born 28 December 1966) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour where he holds the record for most victories, with 18 total wins.
| Thaworn Wiratchant ถาวร วิรัตน์จันทร์ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.JPG) | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | 28 December 1966 Nakhon Pathom, Thailand | ||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 11 st) | ||||||
| Sporting nationality |  Thailand | ||||||
| Residence | Bangkok, Thailand | ||||||
| Career | |||||||
| Turned professional | 1987 | ||||||
| Current tour(s) | European Senior Tour Japan PGA Senior Tour | ||||||
| Former tour(s) | European Tour Asian Tour OneAsia Tour All Thailand Golf Tour ASEAN PGA Tour | ||||||
| Professional wins | 36 | ||||||
| Highest ranking | 68 (6 January 2013)[1] | ||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||
| European Tour | 1 | ||||||
| Asian Tour | 18 (1st all-time) | ||||||
| European Senior Tour | 2 | ||||||
| Other | 16 | ||||||
| Best results in major championships | |||||||
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 2013 | ||||||
| PGA Championship | DNP | ||||||
| U.S. Open | DNP | ||||||
| The Open Championship | T31: 2006 | ||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Professional career
editWiratchant's biggest win came in March 2005 when he won the Enjoy Jakarta Standard Chartered Indonesia Open. This event was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour, meaning that Wiratchant became the second Thai after Thongchai Jaidee to win on the European Tour. He topped the Asian Tour money list in 2005, becoming the first player to win more than half a million U.S. dollars on that tour in a season. He also recorded what would have been the lowest aggregate score on the European Tour with a total of 255 strokes. However, this record is not considered official as preferred lies were in operation throughout the week.[2]
Wiratchant won the Asian Tour money list again in 2012 after a solid season with three victories, including a playoff win over Scot Richie Ramsay at the Hero Indian Open.[3]
Senior career
editWiratchant played in a number of events on the European Senior Tour in 2017, receiving an exemption for players aged exactly 50 who had previously won a European Tour event. In his second event on the tour, the WINSTONgolf Senior Open, he finished runner-up behind Phillip Price. He gained entry to the end-of-season MCB Tour Championship by being 23rd in the Order of Merit. Rounds of 66-65-62 gave him an eight strokes win over Mark McNulty.[4] The win lifted him to 9th place on the end of season Order of Merit.
Amateur wins
edit- 1987 Singapore Open Amateur Championship
Professional wins (36)
editEuropean Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Mar 2005 | Enjoy Jakarta Standard Chartered Indonesia Open1 | −25 (63-63-66-63=255) | 5 strokes |  Raphaël Jacquelin
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
Asian Tour wins (18)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Mar 1996 | Sabah Masters | −6 (72-71-70-69=282) | 2 strokes |  Lin Chih-chen,  Jeff Wagner
|
| 2 | 25 Jun 2001 | Alcatel Singapore Open | −16 (68-69-68-67=272) | 1 stroke | Hsieh Yu-shu
|
| 3 | 13 Aug 2001 | Volvo Masters of Malaysia | −17 (69-67-67-68=271) | 3 strokes |  Scott Kammann
|
| 4 | 19 Sep 2004 | Mercuries Taiwan Masters | −5 (69-69-71-74=283) | 2 strokes | Chen Yuan-chi,  Chris Williams
|
| 5 | 27 Mar 2005 | Enjoy Jakarta Standard Chartered Indonesia Open1 | −25 (63-63-66-63=255) | 5 strokes | Raphaël Jacquelin
|
| 6 | 18 Sep 2005 | Taiwan Open | −18 (73-65-68-64=270) | 1 stroke | Chapchai Nirat
|
| 7 | 30 Oct 2005 | Hero Honda Indian Open | −16 (68-66-68-70=272) | 2 strokes |  Gaurav Ghei
|
| 8 | 20 Nov 2005 | Carlsberg Masters Vietnam | −7 (72-66-72-71=281) | 2 strokes |  Chris Rodgers
|
| 9 | 16 Sep 2007 | Midea China Classic | −21 (65-63-68-67=263) | Playoff | Chinnarat Phadungsil,  Simon Yates
|
| 10 | 8 Jun 2008 | Bangkok Airways Open | −13 (66-69-68-68=271) | 3 strokes |  Shintaro Kai
|
| 11 | 13 Sep 2009 | Macau Open | −15 (67-68-66-68=269) | 6 strokes | Gaganjeet Bhullar
|
| 12 | 19 Sep 2010 | Yeangder Tournament Players Championship | −10 (69-67-70=206)* | 1 stroke | Chinnarat Phadungsil
|
| 13 | 17 Jun 2012 | Queen's Cup | −7 (70-67-72-68=277) | 3 strokes |  Juvic Pagunsan,  Siddikur Rahman
|
| 14 | 8 Sep 2012 | Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters | −16 (66-69-68-69=272) | 3 strokes | Gaganjeet Bhullar
|
| 15 | 21 Oct 2012 | Hero Indian Open (2) | −14 (69-68-67-66=270) | Playoff | Richie Ramsay
|
| 16 | 15 Sep 2013 | Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (2) | −13 (69-67-71-68=275) | 1 stroke | Chan Kim
|
| 17 | 8 Jun 2014 | Queen's Cup (2) | −12 (71-68-67-66=272) | 1 stroke | Poom Saksansin
|
| 18 | 30 Nov 2014 | King's Cup | −20 (68-67-66-67=268) | 2 strokes | Andrew Dodt, Anirban Lahiri
|
*Note: The 2010 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Asian Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007 | Midea China Classic | Chinnarat Phadungsil, Simon Yates
|
Won with birdie on fourth extra hole Yates eliminated by par on first hole |
| 2 | 2012 | Hero Indian Open | Richie Ramsay
|
Won with bogey on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2015 | Ho Tram Open |  Sergio García, Lin Wen-tang, Himmat Rai
|
García won with par on second extra hole Lin and Wiratchant eliminated by birdie on first hole |
OneAsia Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Jul 2011 | Indonesia Open | −13 (68-68-66-73=275) | 1 stroke |  Choi Jin-ho,  Michael Hendry, Rory Hie
|
All Thailand Golf Tour wins (8)
edit- 2001 TPC Championships
- 2003 Singha Pattaya Open
- 2004 Singha Pattaya Open
- 2007 Singha Masters
- 2010 Singha E-San Open1
- 2014 Singha All Thailand Championship
- 2015 Singha E-San Open1
- 2020 Thongchai Jaidee Foundation
1Co-sanctioned by the ASEAN PGA Tour
ASEAN PGA Tour wins (4)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Jun 2009 | Heritage Melaka Classic | −12 (69-69-70-68=276) | 1 stroke |  Lam Chih Bing
|
| 2 | 18 Jul 2010 | Singha E-San Open1 | −12 (71-69-68-68=276) | Playoff | Namchok Tantipokhakul
|
| 3 | 6 May 2012 | Luang Prabang Laos Open | −21 (69-63-68-67=267) | 8 strokes | Jay Bayron
|
| 4 | 1 Mar 2015 | Singha E-San Open1 (2) | −18 (67-68-66-69=270) | 4 strokes | Piya Sawangarunporn, Namchok Tantipokhakul, Rattanon Wannasrichan
|
1Co-sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour
Omega China Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 Jun 2009 | Dongfeng Nissan Teana Golf Open | −20 (70-68-63-67=268) | 1 stroke |  Eom Jae-woong
|
European Senior Tour wins (2)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other European Senior Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Dec 2017 | MCB Tour Championship | −23 (66-65-62=193) | 8 strokes |  Mark McNulty
|
| 2 | 10 Mar 2018 | Sharjah Senior Golf Masters | −12 (68-65-71=204) | Playoff | Clark Dennis, Peter Fowler
|
European Senior Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018 | Sharjah Senior Golf Masters | Clark Dennis, Peter Fowler
|
Won with par on fourth extra hole Fowler eliminated by par on first hole |
Japan PGA Senior Tour wins (4)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Sep 2018 | Sevenhills Cup KBC Senior Open | −15 (65-64=129) | 3 strokes | Katsumi Kubo, Prayad Marksaeng
|
| 2 | 14 Sep 2019 | Komatsu Open | −14 (69-68-65=202) | Playoff | Prayad Marksaeng
|
| 3 | 9 Nov 2019 | Fujifilm Senior Championship | −16 (68-64-68=200) | 6 strokes | Toru Suzuki
|
| 4 | 5 Jun 2021 | Sumaiida Cup Senior Tournament | −13 (64-69-70=203) | 2 strokes | Prayad Marksaeng
|
Results in major championships
edit| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | T31 | CUT |
Note: Wiratchant never played in the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Results in World Golf Championships
edit| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match Play | ||||||||
| Championship | T54 | |||||||
| Invitational | ||||||||
| Champions | T60 | T39 | T53 | |||||
"T" = Tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Team appearances
editAmateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Thailand): 1984
Professional
- World Cup (representing Thailand): 1989, 1990
- Dunhill Cup (representing Thailand): 1991, 1992
- Dynasty Cup (representing Asia): 2003 (winners), 2005 (winners)
- Royal Trophy (representing Asia): 2006, 2007
- Dongfeng Nissan Cup (representing China): 2013[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Week 1 2013 Ending 6 Jan 2013" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Wiratchant Enjoys Winning Feeling in Jakarta". European Tour. 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Thaworn wins Indian Open in final-round drama". Bangkok Post. AFP. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Wiratchant wins maiden title after Mauritian masterclass". European Senior Tour. December 10, 2017. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Asia-Pacific golfers take big lead over China". AFP. Bangkok Post. 14 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
External links
edit- Thaworn Wiratchant at the Asian Tour official site
- Thaworn Wiratchant at the European Tour official site
- Thaworn Wiratchant at the Official World Golf Ranking official site