Kiradech Aphibarnrat (born Anujit Hirunratanakorn,[1] 23 July 1989) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian and European Tours.
In both 2003 and 2004, Aphibarnrat won his age group at the Junior World Golf Championships. In 2007, he was on the gold medal team at the 2007 Summer Universiade and took a silver in the individual event at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games.
Aphibarnrat turned professional in 2008 and began playing on the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour in 2009. HIs first professional victory came in 2009 at the Mercedes-Benz Tour's Singha Pattaya Open, which he won by 11 strokes, earning US$50,000. Aphibarnrat's first Asian Tour win was at the 2011 SAIL Open.[2]
Aphibarnrat's first victory on the European Tour was at the Maybank Malaysian Open in March 2013. The event was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, thus giving him a second win on that tour. In the event, which shortened to 54 holes due to thunderstorms, Aphibarnrat defeated Edoardo Molinari by one stroke.
He won his second European Tour title at the Shenzhen International in a sudden death playoff over Li Haotong. Having led the tournament at the 54 hole stage, he trailed late in the back nine, but eagled the 17th hole and then missed a birdie putt on the 18th for the outright victory. He would go on to birdie the first extra hole to claim victory. Aphibarnrat became only the second player from Thailand, after Thongchai Jaidee, to record multiple European Tour wins.
Aphibarnrat is sometimes referred to as "Asia's John Daly", a comparison of his "unathletic" physique to the similarly large body type of two-time major championship winner John Daly.[3]
Amateur wins (2)
Professional wins (6)
European Tour wins (3)
* Note: The 2013 Maybank Malaysian Open was shortened to 54 holes due to bad weather.
1 Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour
- European Tour playoff record (1–0)
Asian Tour wins (2)
* Note: The 2013 Maybank Malaysian Open was shortened to 54 holes due to bad weather.
1 Co-sanctioned with the European Tour
Asian Development Tour wins (1)
- 2015 Thongchai Jaidee Foundation
Other wins (1)
| No. |
Date |
Tournament |
Winning score |
Margin of
victory |
Runner-up |
|---|
| 1 |
5 Apr 2009 |
Singha Pattaya Open |
−23 (68-65-61-67=261) |
11 strokes |
 Antonio Lascuña |
Results in major championships
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Results in World Golf Championships
Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
References
External links
Thailand
Edoardo Molinari
Li Haotong
Robert Karlsson
Siddikur Rahman
