Phachara Khongwatmai competes in the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea this week saying he has fully recovered from the back injury that forced him to withdraw from the Olympics and the International Series England.

It’s a timely recovery for the brilliant Thai golfer who nearly won this event here last year at Ocean Course at Club72, near Incheon airport. Korean Guntaek Koh beat him on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off, after Phachara, playing in the seventh from last group out, had shot a remarkable nine-under-par 63 to set the target in the clubhouse.

Koh birdied the par-five 18^th in regulation play to catch him, and then made birdie again on the last to take the title, after his Thai opponent found water with his second shot but still managed to make par after hitting his fourth to 12 feet.

It was a typically cavalier performance from Phachara, coming during an outstanding season when he was also third twice, fourth three times and recorded fifth and sixth place finishes.

Phachara Khongwatmai and Kiradech Aphibarnrat pictured at the Olympics. Picture by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR/IGF.

However, it was yet another season, like this year so far, that left him chasing that elusive second victory on the Asian Tour, to add to the Laguna Phuket Championship he claimed in December of 2021.

Opportunity knocks again this week on a course he likes and with his back back to normal.

“My back injury started because of the village at the Olympics,” he explained.

“On Wednesday I got food allergies, and I slept all day in the village, but the bed was not very good, that is when it started to hurt. But not too bad, just like tight and not hurt a lot. In Paris the course was quite narrow and the rough quite sticky, like really long rough.

“And I hit it in the rough almost every hole so then my back kept hurting. I had to stop after nine holes on the last day. Then I tried to play in the UK, but I only lasted the first round. But now it’s better, I don’t feel any pain anymore, now like back to normal.”

To make matters worse his driver cracked at the Olympics – effecting the strongest part of his game. He started using a new one at last week’s Mandiri Indonesia Open, where he put together four solid rounds to restore his confidence. He tied for 27^th and is currently in 44^th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and looking for a spark to ignite his season.

Phachara Khongwatmai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He said: “Now, you know for me, it seems like my season is just starting. Hopefully my game will be back to normal soon.

“I like this week’s course; I like the greens. Putting is key this week because the greens have a lot of slope, and they are quite tricky. If I’m putting good I have a chance.”

It’s been 10 years since he turned professional – and 11 since he made global headlines by winning the Singha Hua Hin Open as a 14-year-old amateur – countless missed chances to win again have passed but at 25 years of age time is most definitely on the side for one of Thailand’s most precocious stars.

This week’s event is tri-sanctioned by the Asian, Japan and Korean Tours.