Feb9 FaldoSeriesAsia

By TK

18-year-old Nakarin Ratanakul from Thailand claimed the title of Faldo Series Asia 2007 champion at Mission Hills, China, this week with a final round of 67 and a three-round, ten under par total of 206.

Ratanakul commented after his win: “To have one of my golfing idols here to watch me made it even better, as I have always looked up to Nick Faldo.”

Faldo was in attendance to watch the 60 Asian competitors from 11 different Asian countries, along with five invitees from the UK and Ireland (winners of the European Faldo Series 2006), as they vied for victory over the Faldo Course at Mission Hills. Faldo played a round with the tournament’s winners yesterday and spent time with the players during his visit. The six-time Major winner also invited a group of young local children to watch the tournament and attend a clinic which he hosted in an effort to introduce the game to a new generation of golfers.

The Faldo Series Asia grand final was the culmination of the full year’s schedule for the Asian arm of Faldo’s golf-development programme, already in its 11th year here in Europe. The Asian tournament has been very well-received and marks the beginning of Faldo’s effort to broaden the reach of the Faldo Series in a bid to offer as many young golfers as possible the opportunity to benefit from his unique mixture of competition and education.

Faldo commented: “I’m delighted that this, the first Faldo Series Asia grand final was such a resounding success, which was in no small part due to the excellent facilities and participation of our sponsor Mission Hills. It was great to see such a diverse group of golfers playing in a Faldo Series event and that is a factor that I hope to develop even further as the initiative grows. We are hoping to expand into even more Asian countries next year and are also in the process of organising tournaments throughout Continental Europe. As the years progress I am confident that the Series will continue to build, reaching an even broader range of golfers.” 

The Faldo Series Asia is supported by Mission Hills, the R&A and UBS.

 

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