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The inaugural Black Mountain Masters starts on Thursday.

The talented Prom Meesawat is eager to secure a second Asian Tour victory at the spectacular Black Mountain Golf Club which is located in his home town of Hua Hin, a two-hour drive south of the capital city of Bangkok.

He said victory would be a gift to his father-cum-mentor Suthep, the first Thai to win the Thailand Open in 1991, and also put him closer to Chapchai’s victory tally of three as they have forged a friendly rivalry since bursting onto the Asian Tour scene several years ago.

The 24-year-old Thai has been frustrated by his inability to follow up on his maiden Asian Tour success at the 2006 SK Telecom Open in Korea but being on home soil and in fairly good form has given him the impetus to shoot for victory.

Chapchai, who won the SAIL Open in India last week with a record 32-under-par winning total, will headline a stellar field at the US$500,000 event which includes two-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee, American Anthony Kang, the current Order of Merit leader, Finland’s Mikko Ilonen and Swedes Jesper Parnevik and Johan Edfors, who are playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week.

The par 72, 7,345-yard Black Mountain course, which opened for play in 2007, is title sponsoring the Asian Tour’s newest tournament in Thailand. The course is set in a valley, just next to the "Black Mountains", which are so named because of the large black rocks set into the mountains, providing a spectacular backdrop to many of the holes.

Chapchai was still on cloud nine after his record-breaking feats in India where he set 36, 54 and 72 hole records en route to a third career win on the Asian Tour. His winning score was also the lowest amongst the six major Tours in the world.

Like Prom, Chapchai is amongst a new generation of golfers emerging from Thailand and the burly 25-year-old will be gunning for back-to-back wins and a first title on home soil.

Ilonen, a two-time winner on the European Tour, paid tribute to the quality of players coming out from the Land of Smiles.