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Thongchai Jaidee
ธงชัย ใจดี
Thongchai Jaidee; ธงชัย ใจดี
Personal information
Born	8 November 1969 (age 55); Lopburi, Thailand
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	63 kg (139 lb; 9.9 st)
Sporting nationality	Thailand
Residence	Lopburi, Thailand
Spouse	Namfon Latkrathok (m. 1998)
Children	2
Career
Turned professional	1999
Current tour(s)	Asian Tour; PGA Tour Champions; European Senior Tour
Former tour(s)	European Tour
Professional wins	22
Highest ranking	27 (3 January 2016)
Number of wins by tour
European Tour	8
Asian Tour	13 (2nd all-time)
PGA Tour Champions	2
Other	3
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	T37: 2014
PGA Championship	T36: 2009
U.S. Open	T47: 2010
The Open Championship	T13: 2009
Achievements and awards
Asian Tour; Order of Merit winner
Asian Tour; Order of Merit winner	2001, 2004, 2009
Asian Tour; Players' Player of the Year	2001, 2004, 2009

Thongchai Jaidee (Thai: ธงชัย ใจดี; RTGS: Thongchai Chaidi, born 8 November 1969) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He formerly played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. On the Asian Tour, he holds the record for the most career earnings and is second in victories having won 13 times. He has won the Order of Merit on the Asian Tour three times during his career. Jaidee was the first man to win US$2 million, US$3 million, US$4 million, and US$5 million on the Asian Tour in prize money.

Early life

Jaidee did not start playing golf until he was sixteen, and he later went into the Royal Thai Army where he was a paratrooper in special forces.

Professional career

Jaidee did not turn professional until he was thirty years old, but he soon achieved success on the Asian Tour, winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2004. He first played in a major championship in the 2001 U.S. Open and finished tied 74th.^[2] In February 2004 he became the first Thai to win a tournament on the European Tour by winning the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, an event which was co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour. In 2005, he successfully defended his Malaysian Open title.

In 2006 he received a special invitation to play in the Masters Tournament. He was the second Thai to play in the Masters after Sukree Onsham, who did so in 1970 and 1971, and by doing so, he became the first Thai to play in all four major championships.

After his victory in the Volvo Masters of Asia in 2006 he reached 75 in the Official World Golf Rankings. His best year-end ranking on the European Order of Merit has been 9th in 2013. He topped the Asian Tour order of merit for a third time in 2009.

Jaidee won for the fifth time on the European Tour in June 2012 at the ISPS Handa Wales Open. This was the first occasion that Jaidee had won on the European Tour outside Asia. He shot a final round one over 72, but won by a single stroke from four other players.^[3]

Jaidee qualified for the 2015 Presidents Cup squad for the first time and in doing so became the first player from Thailand to earn the honor. He won 1.5 points from 3 matches.

In September 2015, Jaidee won his seventh European Tour title at the Porsche European Open in Germany by a single stroke over Englishman Graeme Storm. Jaidee held the 54-hole lead by a stroke and shot a 67 in the final round to claim victory.

Jaidee claimed his eighth European Tour victory in July 2016, with a four-stroke victory at the Open de France. He shot weekend rounds of 68-68, which included a run of 39 holes without a bogey and moved him clear of the chasing pack. Jaidee became the oldest winner of the tournament, at the age of 46, since it became part of the European Tour in 1972.

Amateur wins

1995 Pakistan Open Amateur Championship
1997 Putra Cup
1998 Putra Cup, Singapore Open Amateur Championship, Thailand Open Amateur Championship

Professional wins (22)

European Tour wins (8)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	22 Feb 2004	Carlsberg Malaysian Open¹	−14 (71-71-64-68=274)	2 strokes	Brad Kennedy
2	20 Feb 2005	Carlsberg Malaysian Open¹ (2)	−21 (64-66-67-70=267)	3 strokes	Jyoti Randhawa
3	1 Mar 2009	Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open¹	−12 (71-69-67-69=276)	2 strokes	Simon Dyson, Alex Norén, Steve Webster
4	26 Apr 2009	Ballantine's Championship^1,2	−4 (66-71-77-70=284)	Playoff	Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Kang Sung-hoon
5	3 Jun 2012	ISPS Handa Wales Open	−6 (71-68-67-72=278)	1 stroke	Thomas Bjørn, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Joost Luiten, Richard Sterne
6	1 Jun 2014	Nordea Masters	−16 (69-70-68-65=272)	Playoff	Victor Dubuisson, Stephen Gallacher
7	27 Sep 2015	Porsche European Open	−17 (68-68-64-67=267)	1 stroke	Graeme Storm
8	3 Jul 2016	Open de France	−11 (67-70-68-68=273)	4 strokes	Francesco Molinari

¹Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
²Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour

European Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	2009	Ballantine's Championship	Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Kang Sung-hoon	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	2014	Nordea Masters	Victor Dubuisson, Stephen Gallacher	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Asian Tour wins (13)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	8 Oct 2000	Kolon Cup Korea Open¹	−10 (70-69-69-70=278)	1 stroke	Craig Kamps
2	18 Mar 2001	Wills Indian Open	−17 (67-69-69-66=271)	1 stroke	Ross Bain
3	10 Feb 2002	London Myanmar Open	−11 (69-70-69-69=277)	Playoff	Edward Loar
4	14 Dec 2003	Volvo Masters of Asia	−19 (71-64-65-65=265)	1 stroke	Lin Keng-chi
5	15 Feb 2004	Myanmar Open (2)	−12 (69-72-66-69=276)	3 strokes	Andrew Pitts
6	22 Feb 2004	Carlsberg Malaysian Open²	−14 (71-71-64-68=274)	2 strokes	Brad Kennedy
7	20 Feb 2005	Carlsberg Malaysian Open² (2)	−21 (64-66-67-70=267)	3 strokes	Jyoti Randhawa
8	17 Dec 2006	Volvo Masters of Asia (2)	−11 (68-68-69-72=277)	1 stroke	Frankie Miñoza
9	7 Dec 2008	Hana Bank Vietnam Masters	−15 (67-69-70-67=273)	Playoff	Rhys Davies, Andrew Dodt
10	14 Dec 2008	Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open	−24 (68-66-64-66=264)	6 strokes	Lam Chih Bing
11	1 Mar 2009	Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open²	−12 (71-69-67-69=276)	2 strokes	Simon Dyson, Alex Norén, Steve Webster
12	26 Apr 2009	Ballantine's Championship^1,2	−4 (66-71-77-70=280)	Playoff	Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Kang Sung-hoon
13	12 Dec 2010	Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open (2)	−21 (70-67-65-65=267)	4 strokes	Kenichi Kuboya

¹Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour
²Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

Asian Tour playoff record (3–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2002	London Myanmar Open	Edward Loar	Won with par on first extra hole
2	2008	Hana Bank Vietnam Masters	Rhys Davies, Andrew Dodt	Won with par on third extra hole Dodt eliminated by birdie on second hole
3	2009	Ballantine's Championship	Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Kang Sung-hoon	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (3)

2000 Singha Bangkok Open (Thailand)
2001 Singha Bangkok Open (Thailand)
2019 GolfSixes Cascais (with Phachara Khongwatmai)

PGA Tour Champions wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	12 Jun 2022	American Family Insurance Championship	−14 (69-65-68=202)	1 stroke	Tom Pernice Jr.
2	24 Sep 2023	PURE Insurance Championship	−14 (70-65-67=202)	Playoff	Justin Leonard

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2023	PURE Insurance Championship	Justin Leonard	Won with par on fourth extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	2001	2002	2004	2005	2006	2007	2009
Masters Tournament					CUT
U.S. Open	T74
The Open Championship		WD		T52			T13
PGA Championship			CUT	CUT		CUT	T36

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Masters Tournament	WD				T37	55	57
U.S. Open	T47			CUT	CUT	CUT
The Open Championship	CUT	CUT	T77	T32	T39	T65	T22	T27
PGA Championship	CUT		CUT	T47	CUT	CUT	T73	CUT

Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	5	3
U.S. Open	0	5	2
The Open Championship	2	11	8
PGA Championship	0	11	3
Totals	2	32	16

Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (2016 Masters – 2017 Open Championship)
Longest streak of top-10s – 0

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
The Players Championship	CUT	CUT				CUT	CUT

Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut

Results in World Golf Championships

Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.

Tournament	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Championship	T57	T66	T41	60	T9	T23		T56				T6	69
Match Play								QF			R64	R64	T34	T28	T39
Invitational			T32	T58		T46	T60			WD		T52	T57		T63
Champions							T19		T29	T21	T46	T41	T11	T30

Top 10

Did not play

WD = Withdrew
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.