Thongchai in, Prayad out at Open
Thai duo Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng endured mixed fortunes at the British Open on Friday.
Thongchai, a triple Asian Tour No 1, shot a one-over-par 71 to safely make the weekend rounds at Royal Lytham and St Annes on level par 140.
But countryman Prayad’s Open misery was extended for at least another year after missing his fifth cut.
The 42-year-old Thongchai was rock solid throughout his afternoon round and was unlucky not to finish with a second straight 70 after his birdie attempt from 10 feet at the last hole burned the edge of the cup.
A weekend appearance will boost his hopes of qualifying for next month’s PGA Championship as the 105th ranked Thongchai needs to break into the top-100 in the world.
"Hard day. Made the cut which is very important for this event," said Thongchai, who took his run of made cuts to 11 straight tournaments.
"No complaints today. I just missed two fairways and made one birdie. It was a good game plan. Played solid and played my own game. I look forward to the next two days."
With only three shots separating the former Thai paratrooper from the top-five, he is planning a weekend charge in the world’s oldest major.
But the recent Wales Open champion knows he must remain patient on the links and continue to keep his driver tucked safely in the bag.
"The pins were tough, every hole was on a slope. I hit it solid. I don’t care about the leaders. Two more rounds. I only used one driver on 11. A lot of three wood and irons and it is a good game plan.
Prayad shot a second straight 75 to miss the halfway cut for the fifth time since making his debut in 1999.
The 46-year-old was lost for words after signing for a card which included one double bogey, five bogeys and two birdies for a two-day total of 150.
"The first three holes, I was already four over. I kept hooking my shots. I don’t know why. Maybe I’ve got too many layers on as it was cold. I’ve got three layers on today," said Prayad.
"I don’t like the course. Maybe, the new players like Prom and Kiradech can play well. I’ll try to qualify again but I don’t understand why I can’t play well when I get here."
