Prayad returns to winning ground in Beijing

BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Thai star Prayad Marksaeng is looking forward to a return to Beijing for the 2.2 million U.S. dollars Volvo China Open next week, the city which saw him deliver his first professional victory.

The smooth-swinging Prayad, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, has come a long way since that sensational victory in the 1996 edition and has made no secret of his intention to mount another challenge for the title again at Beijing CBD International Golf Club from April 17-20.

"Back in 1996, I was only the first reserve then but I managed to get into the main field and subsequently won the title in the end with a 19-under-par total," recalled Prayad.

"There was no pressure on me back then and I putted great that week. It was my first major win and it raised my confidence to what it is today," added the stocky Thai star.

Prayad will lead an array of stars from the Asian Tour for the China Open, which is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and China Golf Association. Other top names who will challenge for honors include current Order of Merit leader Mark Brown of New Zealand, India's S.S.P. Chowrasia, Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang.

Since his breakthrough in 1996, the talented Prayad has gone onto post five other victories on the Asian Tour. He capped a strong season in 2007 by winning the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia as well as posting six other top-10s on the Asian Tour to finish fifth on the Order of Merit.

The China Open will also be Prayad's first event after his U.S. Masters debut at Augusta National Golf Club and he will be hoping to impress the Chinese galleries with a performance that will speak volume of his U.S. Masters' invitation.

"I am in-form right now, especially my mental state of mind. Mydriving, iron shots and chipping are all coming together very nicely," said Prayad. "If my putting hits top form too, I'll be ready and confident to put in a good performance anytime."

India's rising star Chowrasia, who enjoyed a stunning two-shot triumph at the inaugural Emaar-MGF Indian Masters in February, is another Asian Tour stalwart who will be looking to add another title to his career.

"It'll be great if I can win another title in Beijing again. I'm feeling good about my game now and hopefully I can repeat that winning performance again," said Chowrasia.

Chowrasia has scalped some of the biggest names in golf and will now be aiming to emulate that feat at the China Open where he will be up against the likes of Ryder Cup star David Howell and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, who won in South Korea recently.

After a short break to enjoy his terrific start to the year which saw him win back-to-back titles in India, Brown is itching to hit the fairways again.

"It has really been a hot start to the year. I practiced really hard over Christmas and came out playing really well," said Brown.

"I gained a lot of confidence from Indonesia (Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open) where I finished fourth and that carried on to winning my two titles in India," added Brown. "That was simply an amazing three or four weeks!"

Despite a disappointing finish at the WGC-CA Championship in Doral early last month, Brown believes that the three weeks break he has given himself will now allow him to rediscover that early season form.

"After a little break, I think it's a good chance to start again and to try and keep that form going again. I will be doing some practice this week and next week to get ready for China," said Brown.