Fowler, Mahan join hunt for Thailand Golf Championship

Bangkok, Oct 8 (IANS) American duo Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler have confirmed their participation at the Thailand Golf Championship scheduled for Dec 12-15.

World No.26 and two-time World Golf Championships (WGC) winner Mahan was a key member of the United States squad that beat the international team at last weekend’s Presidents Cup in Ohio.

The 31-year-old recorded a couple of satisfying wins that included a win in the Four-Ball with teammate Brandt Snedeker over Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. The Colleyville native is excited about returning to Chonburi to challenge for the Thailand crown.

With eight career tour wins and two top-10 finishes in Majors this year, Mahan has had a solid year and is looking forward to improve on his tied-22nd finish last year in Thailand.

“It has been a good year for me. I have had some great results and a number of top-10s but I am still looking for my first win. Amata Spring is a beautiful course and one that suits my game very well. I am definitely up for the challenge.”

Ranked 33rd in the world, 24-year-old Fowler is one of the most exciting young players in the game today. After a stellar amateur career, he turned professional in 2009. Fowler was crowned 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, representing the US in the Ryder Cup in his debut professional season.

He also has two professional wins to his name, the most recent being the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship where he beat former World No.1 Rory McIlroy. The Thailand Golf Championship will be Fowler’s first appearance in a full-field Asian Tour event.

The third edition of the $1 million event will host defending champion and 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose and 2012 Masters winner Bubba Watson as well as Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson, who recently claimed both the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup crowns.