Thongchai Jaidee
| Thongchai Jaidee ธงชัย ใจดี |
|
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Thongchai Jaidee |
| Born |
8 November 1969 Lopburi, Thailand |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb; 9.9 st) |
| Nationality |
 Thailand
|
| Residence | Lop Buri, Thailand |
| Spouse | Namfon Latkrathok (m. 1998) |
| Children | Titituch, Kittituch |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1999 |
| Current tour(s) |
European Tour Asian Tour |
| Professional wins | 19 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 8 |
| Asian Tour | 13 (2nd all time) |
| Other | 2 |
| Best results in major championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | T37: 2014 |
| U.S. Open | T47: 2010 |
| The Open Championship | T13: 2009 |
| PGA Championship | T36: 2009 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Asian Tour Order of Merit |
2001, 2004, 2009 |
Thongchai Jaidee (Thai: ธงชัย ใจดี; rtgs: Thongchai Chaidi, born 8 November 1969) is a Thai professional golfer who plays 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.
Jaidee did not start playing golf until he was sixteen, and he later went into the Royal Thai Army where he was a paratrooper. Jaidee did not turn professional until he was thirty years old, but he soon achieved success on the Asian Tour, topping the tour's order of merit in 2001 and 2004. He first played in a major championship in the 2001 U.S. Open and finished tied 74th. 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.
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