Kiradech Aphibarnat

Born: July 20, 1989

Birthplace: Bangkok, Thailand

Height: 5 ft, 8 in

Turned Pro: 2008

Sponsors: Titleist

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnat was a phenomenal junior golfer – winning his age-group in the Junior World Golf Championship in both 2003 and 2004. He followed that up with outstanding play at the 2007 Summer Universiade and the 2007 Southeast Asia Games. He also was a World University Games gold medalist.

Aphibarnat began his career playing both the Asian and Japanese golf tours. He won in both 2009 and 2011 and began playing occasionally European Tour events. In 2013, Aphibarnat captured his first European Tour title at the Maybank Malaysian Open, defeating Edoardo Molinari by a single stroke. The win was good for $458,000, by far the largest purse of Aphibarnat’s career.

It was after this victory the press began to dub Aphibarnat as “Asia’s John Daly.” The big hitting Aphibarnat’s physique resembles Daly’s, the colorful two-time Major champion.

With his win in the Malaysian Open and 5 other top five finishes, Aphibarnat won the Asian Tour Order of Merit (money list) in 2013 with winnings in excess of $1.1 million. Aphibarnat became just the second play, after Jeev Milkha Sing, to earn more than one million dollars in a single season on the Asian Tour.

Aphibarnat became only the second player from Thailand to win multiple European Tour titles when he won the 2015 Shenzhen International.

Off the course, Aphibarnat enjoys watching auto racing. Aphibarnat was previously known as Anujit Hirunratanakorn, before his family changed his name.