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“I am a big supporter of the All Thailand Golf Tour,” said European tour star Nicolas Colsaerts

BY ์์์ืืื์์์New ON March Thu, 2017 12:52

 “I am a big supporter of the All Thailand Golf Tour,” said European tour star  Nicolas Colsaerts

 
 
Since being established in 1999, the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) has continuously  been enjoying its progress.  The 2017 season, which is its 19th edition, has seen lots of developments. One of them is to get star players to be the tour’s honorary members.
 
They feature Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, Finland’s Mikko Illonen and Mikko Korhonen, Germany’s Marcel Siem and Denmark’s Thobjorn Olesen.  They are joined by four Thai veterans — Boonchu Ruangkit, Thongchai Jaidee, Prayad Marksaeng and Thaworn Wiratchant.
 
The 34-year-old Colsaerts, who won the China Volvo Open 2011 and the Volvo Match Play Championship 2012 in Spain,  agreed to accept an invitation to become an honorary member because he appreciated what the tour has done for the development of young players.
 
“The main reason is to promote the game of golf. I am a big supporter of the All Thailand Golf Tour as it is a good tour for all the young professionals.”
 
“There are lots of Thai players on the Asian Tour now because of tours like the All Thailand Golf Tour.”
 
“I have a special relationship with Thailand. So, it will be very important for the game of golf to be carried out in the good way in Thailand as well.”
 
The two-time European tour winner opines that to start playing golf, the players have to understand what they can achieve in the game and also what possibility the game would give them back. He himself has been fortunate to have found the sport and because of golf, he could travel around the world when he was eighteen and got a fantastic opportunity to see the world and different cultures and meet new people.
 
He hopes that his and his friends’ presence would inspire young Thai golfer to follow their dream.
 
“Look at us today, if I had not played golf, I would not have been here today and met the people that I have been meeting in Thailand for over 10 years now. It is a rich mission of life,” he said.
 
“I found that I was very lucky. I realized that I have to give it back to the young people or the people they do not have opportunity like I have.”
 
 
According to Colsaerts, when the player starts to play professionally on the tour, he needs the help from players, sponsors and organizers as well as other players. Thailand is in fantastic position because it has very good players for a couple of years. With the All Thailand Golf Tour, it is going to allow younger players to have the examples of the older guys like Boonchu  (Ruangkit), Thongchai (Jaidee) and Kiradech (Aphibarnrat). With all these guys on the tour, the young ones felt like going to school and had lots of fun on course.
 
Should he have time he and other honorary members would come and play on the tour so that it can not only inspire the players but also promote the game of golf.
“I think all the guys have to come and play sometimes. The tour is important for young guys in Thailand,” said the golfer, who got beaten by local amateur Kousuke Hamamoto in the playoff at the Singha Classic 2015 at Royal Hills Golf Resort & Spa.
 
 
“I mean if you put everything together, there are lots of things that can make it different. The most important thing is to have supports from the players.”
 
Putting the golf aside, Colsaerts and his friends have done a lot of charity events in the country including supporting schools in the north of Thailand.   Associating with the Thais and the Thai cultures for a number of years, the golfer falls in love with the country and always regards it as his second home.
 
“There are many things making me feel like that. People, foods, the weather and the way they  are living, they always smile and make jokes.”
He recalled the day he flew from Delhi after the Indian Open. There were lots of Thai players and caddies on board.  Everyone enjoyed the trip. It was like going back to school or a school trip.
“It is fantastic to see the atmosphere between them. The older guys like Prayad and the players aged about 20-25 have fun together.”
“That is one of the things I found Thailand amazing.”
 
Asked about the All Thailand Golf Tour in the next five years, Colsaerts, who collected nine professional wins since turning pro in 2000,  has a strong belief that it would continue producing good golfers because the organization is being run professionally and there are huge supports from sponsors.
 
“The tour is in the number 19 now. So, it is running pretty well. The sponsors are very royal because they can see they make a difference,” he said.
“In the five year’s time, more Thais are coming up on the tour and playing in the world of golf.

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