Daliya is the country’s first
professional golfer and he will be the centre of attention at the Luang Prabang
Golf Club from May 3 to 6 during the opening event of the season on the ASEAN
PGA Tour.
“I will feel more nervous than
in a normal competition because all eyes will be on me,” admitted Daliya, who
joined the play-for-pay ranks last year. “I am excited and proud.”
He became the first player from
sports minnows Laos to join the ASEAN PGA Tour last year and also competes on
domestic tours in Thailand.
A multi-talented sportsman, the
muscular 22 year old played tennis for Laos at the South-East Asian Games when
aged just 16 before re-dedicating himself to golf. He has also represented his
country at archery.
A renowned big-hitter who
recently won a long driving competition with a 323-yard bomb, Daliya also
possesses a good short game as he demonstrated at last season’s Singha Pattaya
Open on the ASEAN PGA Tour, where he made his first-ever cut.
With professional golf
expanding its horizons into Laos and the Unesco World Heritage Site of Laung
Prabang, Daliya is determined to put on a good show for local fans next week.
“I have been practicing five
days a week,” he said. “I am hoping there will be more Tour events in Laos.”
Daliya practices at Lao Country
Club – commonly called KM 14 – in Vientiane and has never played Luang Prabang
Golf Club.
“This will be my first time in
Luang Prabang,” he said. “I have been told by several Laos golfers that the
fairways are quite wide so that should suit my long-driving game.
“I am going to do my best in
the tournament – my first goal is to make the cut.”
The ASEAN PGA Tour was set up
to develop young talent in the region and Executive Director Ramlan Haron was
delighted when Daliya joined the ranks last year.
“It is our goal to nurture
players from the ASEAN region and we have watched our members go on to win on
bigger tours,” he said. “Laos is only starting to develop its golf industry but
I am sure more players like Daliya will emerge in the years to come.”
The legendary Thaworn
Wiratchant of Thailand, who has 15 regional titles to his credit and finished
second behind world number three Lee Westwood in last week’s Indonesia Masters,
will headline the field at the Luang Prabang Laos Open.
It’s the first of eight events
on this year’s ASEAN PGA Tour schedule.
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