Player Profile - Thongchai Jaidee

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee won his fifth tournament on the European Tour on Sunday when he was victorious at the Welsh Open. This week's player profile highlights the recent milestones in this talented player's career.

Born in 1969 in Lop Buri, Thailand, Jaidee took up the game of golf for the first time at the age of 16. After completing his high school education Jaidee pursued a military career in his native Thailand, with golf taking a backseat for several years. However, by the time he was 30 Jaidee made his professional debut, with a solid technique and iron discipline that could be expected from a man in uniform. Having traded the battlefield for the golf course, the young golfer was still committed to winning - as his early career successes would prove.

While many young players take several years to cut their teeth on the professional circuit as they weather the competition and high demands of top-tier golf, Jaidee hit the ground running and won several tournaments on the Asian Tour. By 2001 he had topped the order of merit in Asia and finished his first major championship, the US Open, making the cut to play through to the final round.

In 2004, Jaidee made history when he became the first Thai golfer to win a European Tour event. His victory at the co-sanctioned Carlsberg Malaysian Open set the scene for Jaidee's future success in Europe – he would retain his title at the 2005 Malaysian Open and go on to win three more European Tour events.

Jaidee currently holds the record for winning the most events on the Asian Tour – thirteen in total. He is also the highest-earning player to have competed on the Asian Tour. His victory in Wales on Sunday brings his total number of European Tour titles to five, proving that a late start to a career in golf need not be an obstacle to a player with talent and discipline.

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