Swedenās Rikard Karlberg hopes to pen another memorable life chapter when he returns to familiar ground for the inaugural True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain which starts next week.
The dashing Swede will shed his bachelor tag immediately after the US$2 million Thai showpiece but is looking forward to another positive result at the Black Mountain Golf Club where he has enjoyed much success first.
āThe wedding is the week after the tournament and I feel very lucky with what has been going on in my life,ā said Karlberg of his marriage to his long-time girlfriend, Pernilla.
āIt feels amazing how everything has worked out with my new house, the wedding and the tournament. Also, Iāll have lot of friends coming over and watching me play,ā added the two-time Asian Tour winner.
The 28-year-old has an impressive track record at the Black Mountain Golf Club.
He finished second behind Thailandās Prayad Marksaeng at the Kingās Cup when it was last staged at the award-winning golf club in 2014.
With the goal of ending his five-year winless streak firmly etched in his mind, Karlberg knows he has a good chance of doing that at one of his favourite golf courses.
To achieve that, he needs to adopt a carefree attitude when the event gets underway from February 12-15.
āIt’s really easy to try too hard when you have friends and family watching you but the key is to simply enjoy the game and not get too bothered even if you have hit some bad shots.
āBlack Mountain is also one of my loyal sponsors and they have supported me greatly throughout my career. I want to win at least three tournaments this year and getting a win at Black Mountain would be simply fantastic!ā said Karlberg.
Prayad, who denied Karlberg a grandstand finish at the Black Mountain Golf Club last year, is also bullish of his chances at the Thailand Classic which is the first tournament in the Kingdom to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour in eight years.
āIāve got many happy memories at the Black Mountain Golf Club.Ā Right now, Iām feeling physically fit which is good as Iāve targeted a top-20 finish on the Order of Merit by the end of the season,ā said the 49-year-old, who has eight wins on the regionās premier Tour and finished in 74th place on the money list last year.
Among the other top Asian Tour players vying for top honours at the Thailand Classic include reigning Order of Merit champion David Lipsky of the United States, Indiaās Anirban Lahiri, voted Playersā Player of the Year in 2014, Australiaās Scott Hend and Philippinesā Angelo Que.
Belgiumās Nicolas Colsaerts along with Englandās Tommy Fleetwood and David Howell will also feature alongside Spainās Miguel Angel Jimenez and Denmarkās Thomas Bjorn at the Black Mountain Golf Club.
Tickets are now available for purchase at ThaiticketMajor, with admission fees of 400 THB for a single day pass on Thursday (R1) and Friday (R2). The fee is 800 THB for a single day pass on Saturday (R3) and Sunday (Final Round). There is a four-day season pass priced at 1,200 THB. Children and youths (under 16 years old) and senior citizens (over 65 years old) are allowed to enter for free. For further ticketing reservations, purchasing and information, please contact 02-262-3456 or www.thaiticketmajor.com
More details about the Thailand Classic are available on www.golfthailandclassic.com, www.facebook.com/golfthailandclassicĀ and www.twitter.com/golfthaiclassic
