Craig Hinton aims to end his run of near misses on the MENA Golf Tour at the Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen, the first Tour event in Thailand, which starts on Monday.
Like many in the field, the Englishman may not have played on the only Seve Ballesteros-designed course in the country before, but his four runner-up finishes on the Tour has proved he can flourish in a foreign environment.
The 27-year-old from Thame had his chances to get over the line at last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic, but was left to rue another near miss when he lost in a three-way playoff, extending his wait for his maiden title on the Tour since joining in 2013.
“However painful my near-misses have been, I have tried to stay positive. My game is right up there and I believe I have that consistency where I could win any time,” said Hinton, who is fourth on the MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit.
“I’m playing really well and it would be nice if I can keep the momentum going.”
The Englishman will join a strong field led by his compatriot Lee Corfield, a four-time winner on the Tour. Other notables in the field include the Scottish duo of Paul Doherty and Clarke Lutton, Sweden’s Per Barth and England’s Scott Campbell, all former winners on the Tour, while Changtai Sudsom and Krisawat Thongkon of Thailand will spearhead the local challenge.
Scotland’s Ben Alexander, who signed off with a 68 to finish runner-up in the amateur division last week, will be hoping to go one better this time around and consolidate his position on the Order of Merit.
For that to happen, he will have to see off the challenge of India’s Rayhan Thomas, who made a triumphant return to the MENA Golf Tour, winning the amateur division title at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, his first event of the new season.
