Missing the Johnnie Walker Classic due to illness proved to be a blessing in disguise for Thongchai Jaidee as he clinched victory at the co-sanctioned Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open on Sunday.
Forced to skip the event in Perth due to a throat infection that he picked up a week earlier during the Maybank Malaysian Open, the 39-year-old returned home to Thailand to receive treatment before returning to action late in the week.
"I was supposed to play in the Johnnie Walker Classic but I withdrew on Monday morning. I went to see the doctor for three days and then I rested at home," said the Thai ace.
"Then after I got better, I began practising again on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with my coach Sanit Hensirisakul.
"I was feeling quite comfortable and I practised a lot with my irons and on my putting because my coach felt that if I could putt well, I could win the tournament.
"He was able to see me and work with me for three days because I just happened to be home in Thailand so maybe it was a good thing that I didn't play in Australia."
The work put in by Thongchai paid off big time as his superb play with the irons and putter during the US dollars 1.25million event helped him to card a 12-under-par 276 total over four days at New Kuta Golf Club.
The Thai player eventually finished two strokes ahead of Sweden's Alexander Noren and the English pair of Steve Webster and Simon Dyson, giving him his third win on the European Tour and a record 11th on the Asian Tour.
"My driving, putting and iron game were all good today. I felt very confident out there which helped me a lot," he said.
"I knew the pin positions and I was putting well. I missed the green but chipped in on the fifth hole, which was great and on the seventh, I was off the green on the left side but I knocked it in from 12 feet. Those were key holes for me."
With his victory, the former Thai army paratrooper also became the first player to earn more than US dollars 3million on the Asian Tour although he admitted that his focus for the year is not on winning a third Order of Merit title.
Having already been crowned Asia's best in 2001 and 2004, he has set even loftier targets for himself in 2009 with his number one aim being a spot in the in the European Tour's elite season-ending event, the Dubai World Championship.
"My key target this year is to finish in the top 60 on the European Tour in the Race to Dubai," said Thongchai, who moved up from 63rd to inside the top 20 following his win in Indonesia.
"That's my main goal and the second is to get into the top 50 in the World Ranking. I've been trying to do that for a long time and I have not been able to make it but now I think that I have a very good chance.
"I would also like to play in the US PGA Tour Qualifying School at the end of year but we'll see what happens because my plans might change along the way."
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