10 Kiradech Aphibarnrat
Asia’s own larger-than-life representative on this list is Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat. In 2009, in only his second year as a pro and still a teenager, he romped away with his first title when he won the Mercedes Benz Tour’s Singha Pattaya Open at Burapha Golf Club by 11 shots. That win included a jaw-dropping round of 61. Unbelievably, that wasn’t the big man’s first 61 on tour, as he accomplished the feat in his very first professional event – the Singha E San Open – where he placed sixth.
Whilst looking positively skinny alongside mega-hefty compatriot Prom Meesawat, Aphibarnrat proves he’s no lightweight with some sizeable stats of his own: measuring less than five foot nine in his softspikes, the burly Thai tips the scales at over 230 pounds.
Since graduating to the Asian and Japan Tours (where he ranked second in driving distance in 2009), Aphibarnrat has come close in a number of events – most recently at the European Tour’s Maybank Malaysian Open where he finished in a tie for third. Undoubtedly one of the brightest talents in all of Southeast Asia, it’s surely only a matter of time before he breaks through – in a big way!
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