Another good memory was that I also played a practice round with Vijay Singh and the late Seve Ballesteros. Vijay and Seve are old friends of mine and we just got on together really well.
This year, we’ve got a good mix of Asian Tour players who are really strong and experienced at The Open.
Anirban Lahiri and Thongchai Jaidee are fine examples and all our players who are competing at The Open have enjoyed great performances over the past one year.
They have played their way into The Open and are all playing extremely well right now. Thongchai won his second title on European soil in Sweden last year while Anirban won twice in Malaysia and India in February to break into the world’s top-50, which has been fantastic for him.
American David Lipsky, who won the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit last year, will be in the field at St Andrews and I expect to see him playing well there as he’s a solid player. His type of game suits St Andrews and I would not be surprised to see him and our other players performing well.
The main thing for them will be to map out the course and come out with a clear strategy - primarily to stay away from the bunkers as they can be very penal and treacherous. The weather could also play a big role in the tournament that week, so our guys must be prepared to play in all kinds of weather conditions.
I’m sure it’s going to be another nostalgic walk down memory lane when I get back to St Andrews again. Even though I’ll be attending as a Tour official now, I’m sure it’s going to be a surreal feeling all over again.
