“Here we are again,” said the young hotshot, whose nickname is “Fever”.
“My game is not in great shape. The short game is great but tee to green I have got some problems with that. I am still working on it.
“Last year was the same but I found something before I came to this event, so who knows what will happen.”
He also faces a different golf course this year as last season Pondok Indah Golf Course was the host venue – where he recorded his third victory on the Asian Tour, after wins in The DGC Open presented by Mastercard in 2022, and the International Series Singapore the same year.
Nitithorn Thippong’s win last year was his third on the Asian Tour. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
The 27-year-old has only made four cuts in eight starts this year, a disappointing run for the talented golfer but a glimmer of hope was offered at the International Series England three weeks ago.
He tied for 13th there, at Foxhills in Surrey, and is hoping that will help kickstart his season.
He said: “This year has been a lot of ups and downs. I played really good in England but before that I didn’t play well. I got some good feelings from England so hope that helps get me on track for the rest of the year.”
He was languishing in 51st position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit on the eve of last year’s event, and this season he sits in 79th place.
“I have got a lot of things to work on with my swing now which I am trying to get used to,” said Nitithorn, who played on the Asian Development Tour from 2015 to 2019 before finding feet on the main tour post the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s great to be in this position as defending champion. It feels really good to have this chance.”
He won by two shots last year from Australian Scott Hend, England’s Steve Lewton and Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, having been pushed all the way after starting the last day with a five-shot cushion.
Nitithorn pictured winning last year. Picture by Graham Uden / Asian Tour.
That win literally came together at the last minute as something in his swing clicked when he was playing a practice round with his girlfriend the week before.
He tees-off tomorrow at 11.50am with Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho and local star Naraajie E. Ramadhanputra once more looking for that self-belief that has made him one of the Asian Tour’s most exciting young golfers.