Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee has vowed to qualify automatically for the 2015 Presidents Cup after being handed a huge snub and being controversially over-looked by International Team captain, Nick Price.
Jaidee was looking to become the first-ever born Thai golfer to compete in the biannual event commencing on October 6th at the Jack Nicklaus Muirfield Village course in Dublin, Ohio.
However the double Major winning Price overlooked Jaidee, who finished 11th and just one place outside of the leading 10 qualifiers, in favour of Australia’s Marc Leishman and South African Brendan De Jong who finished a respective 12th and 14th on qualifying table.
Thailand’s Thongchai handed a huge snub in being overlooked as a Presidents Cup wildcard pick. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
The 43-year old Jaidee broke into the top-10 qualifiers after narrowly losing out to former US Open champion, Graeme McDowell in the final in May of the Volvo World Match-Play Championship in Bulgaria.
Price then spoke with Jaidee a few weeks later at the US Open at Merion indicating how much he wanted the Bangkok-born in the team.
Though after missing out on contesting the rich WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and then a poor showing a week later in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, Jaidee dropped outside the top-10 qualifiers.
He then needed to finish third in last week’s defence of the Wales Open to break back inside the 10 but was eventually placed 26th at Celtic Manor.
However in naming his two International Team picks Price has completely ignored Jaidee’s talents.
“Yesterday was probably one of the toughest days in my life,” said Price.
“I had it down to three guys – Marc, Brendon and Tim Clark. To try and separate the three and only pick two was an exceptionally difficult task. You had experience on one hand with Tim, and then you had youth in the two rookies in Marc and Brendon.
“When push came to shove, it came down to who I felt is going to play Muirfield the best. This is one of the times when you wish there were 13 members of the Team”
And in a 6,098 official word transcript of a press conference with Price and USA Team captain, Fred Couples there was not the courtesy of one single mention of the triple Asian Tour No. 1
But to his enormous credit Jaidee,who would also have been a rookie just as Leishman and De Jong, took the news courageously.
“It is a bit disappointing especially as I finished 11th on the qualifying table,” he said.
“But then I will now try harder to make the team in 2015.”
Jaidee had joined many of the seven Thai-born players competing this week in the Swiss Alps expecting to celebrate his achievement over dinner in a local Crans Montana restaurant.
Among them was reigning Malaysian Open champion, Kiradeck Aphibarnrat and also leading money earner on the Asian Tour.
“It is disappointing for Thongchai as he showed in Bulgaria what a good match-play player he is,” said Aphibarnrat.
“But it will make him and myself and all the Thailand golfers fight harder so that we can make the next team.”
Jaidee’s appearance in the Presidents Cup would have continued a milestone year for Thailand including July’s British Open championship when three Thai-born players teed up at Muirfield.
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