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Spencer Robinson

THERE are few who are cut out for the job. To be successful, a touring professional has to display many different qualities and attributes.

   Of course, a high level of skill and natural ability is a pre-requisite. But alone, that is not enough.

   He must also be determined and dedicated, to the point of being so single-minded that he thinks nothing of making huge personal sacrifices.

   Golf is an individual sport in which many of the participants are unashamedly selfish. They have to be so. It goes with the territory.

   Yet there are exceptions to the rule - such as Thailand's Boonchu Ruangkit.

   How many, for example, would willingly put their country before themselves, choosing to decline the lure of making the transition to the professional game and retain their amateur status?    Boonchu did just that. Instead of turning pro at 24, he waited another eight years before finally joining the ranks of those who play-for-pay, in the meantime representing Thailand with distinction in international events.

  How many would consider taking six months out of their own careers to devote to coaching their national amateur team?    In 1990, Boonchu did just that, again putting his country's well-being ahead of his own to coach Thailand to victory in the Southeast Asian amateur championship.

   Thamnoon Sriroj, Prayad Marksaeng and Preecha Senaprom were three of the members of that team who chaired Boonchu off the 18th green of the Royal Thai Army Golf Course. Now, thanks to Boonchu's cajolement, they are all making their mark as professionals.

   At the age of 39, Boonchu, though, remains Thailand's number one - a doughty competitor who boasts one of the sharpest short games around.

  Although his Thailand Open triumph of 1992 remains the highlight of his career, 1995 proved to be his finest year.

  As well as winning a host of domestic titles, he threw his support behind the Asian PGA Tour, helping to give the fledgeling circuit the credibility it needed.

   On the Tour, he won twice and was narrowly pipped for the Omega Order of Merit title.

  But more than simply his results, Boonchu embodies everything that young golfers in Asia should aspire to.

   He is an exceptional individual. A gracious and unassuming man, he takes as much pride in his own personal performances as he does in the efforts of his younger compatriots whom he has done so much to encourage.

    On and off the course he is a gentleman whose admirable sportsmanship and overall contribution to developing the game are unmatched by his Asian peers.

   Which is why there could have been no one more worthy of winning the 1995 Johnnie Walker Asian Golfer of the Year award.

    It is true that the other main contenders, Japan's Katsuyoshi Tomori and Hisayuki Sasaki of Japan, achieved wider international recognition during the year.

   Sasaki fired a World Cup record 10-under-par 62 at Shenzhen Mission Hills and was edged out for the individual title by Davis Love III in a sudden-death play-off. A fortnight later he went to America and won his US Tour card.

  Tomori also distinguished himself overseas, sparking huge interest around Asia by sharing the halfway lead in the British Open at St Andrews with John Daly. But it was Boonchu, and Boonchu alone, who met all the criteria set down by the judges.

   One of the most poignant moments of the Johnnie Walker Classic week came when Boonchu received a moving ovation from the 1,000 guests, including Greg Norman and Fred Couples, as he went up to collect his award at the Gala Dinner.

  Sadly, Boonchu did not make the cut at Tanah Merah.

   A combination of fatigue and illness resulted in a second round 78, 10 shots worse than his opening-day effort. Typically, however, there were no excuses and no tantrums, no moans and no groans. Not only is Boonchu a credit to his profession; but also to his country . . . and himself.

   Spencer Robinson is managing editor of Asian Golfer 



Boonchu worthy winner of coveted Asian award