Chiang Mai student in the Top 24 at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships

Aug. 17, 2011 - PRLog -- 28 – 31 July, 2011 - "The Optimist" returned to PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.  More than 650 junior golfers from thirty-five countries competed in this year’s Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, but only seven boys and girls could walk away as Optimist champions.

Chiang Mai’s Tapat “Es” Wittayakon made an impressive finish during his debut at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship for boys aged 16-18. The sixteen- year-old fired a steady 75 (+3) in the final round and finished the four-day tournament at 298 (78, 73, 72, 75), tied for 24th place out of a field of 166 boys from around the globe.

Es, who has placed well in several junior tournaments in Thailand this past year, opened the championship on the Palmer Course, with a round of 78 on Thursday 28 July. That left him in 142nd place, twelve strokes off of Zander Lombard of South Africa who fired an impressive five-under-par 67.

Es was back on his terms by the end of Day Two where a one-over par 73 brought him closer to the leaders and standing in 54th place. Day Three he shot a solid even Par 72, moving up the leader board to 21st place heading into the final day of competition on Sunday31 July.

Teeing off at 07:40 am on the PGA Championship Course along with a trio of international players, Es kept it together, shooting a 75 to emerge with a notable placement in his first ever U.S. International event.

Eighteen- year-old Will Davenport of Palm City, Florida, shot a 71 in the final round to claim the Championship title. Davenport’s four-day total was 281 (72, 72, 66, 71) an outstanding seven under par, one stroke ahead of South African Lombard.

Es is a Grade 11 student at PTIS International School.  He has been a player for the past three years on the Traidhos Three-Generation Golf Academy’s (TGGA) Team Elite. “It was a great experience to be playing in the US. I did my best and it wasn't too bad. I've learned and seen so many new things. I am now looking forward to improving my game and participating in the tournament again,” says Es.

“This was very exciting for all of us here at TGGA and PTIS as this was Es’s first time playing in the United States.  Es just turned sixteen years old in May 2011 and had to play against older and more experienced players. His four-day battle against two great golf courses shows his ability to learn and adapt his game by progressively shooting lower scores each day. As can happen to anyone, Es had one bad hole on the final day to keep him out of the top fifteen. His time at PGA National will only add to his treasure chest of great experiences and help build his confidence for future events. I am very proud of the player and young man Es has become,” says Coach Spike.

The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships is one of the largest and most prestigious junior golf events in the world.  The PGA National’s championship golf courses having hosted such distinguished tournaments as the PGA Championships, the PGA Seniors’ Championships, the Ryder Cup, the Grand Slam of Golf, the World Big Tour Match, the PGA Club Professional Championship, PGA Honda Classic and PGA Junior Championship; presenting an opportune venue for young junior golfers to test their skills.

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