Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat will be looking to become the first player to successfully defend his title at the prestigious Thailand Open when he gets his campaign underway at the highly acclaimed Thai Country Club on Thursday.

Panuphol, who claimed a memorable second Asian Tour victory at the Kingdom’s National Open last year, will challenge for top honours again on his home course when he headlines the US$300,000 event, which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Thailand Golf Association.

“I feel really excited. I am looking forward to my title defence this week. I still remember I holed a lot of putts to win Thai the tournament last year. It was great to win my own National Open. It’s a huge honour,” said the 26-year-old.

“The game’s pretty alright. Not playing my ‘A’ game yet but I’m working on it right now and I know I’m on the right track,” added Panuphol, who has claimed one top-10 finish and three top-20 results in 11 starts on the Asian Tour to sit in 27th place on the Order of Merit.

Panuphol, nicknamed ‘Coconut’ by his parents, turned professional in 2007 at a young age of 14, He has never finished outside the top-60 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit since coming through the Qualifying School in 2011.

Qualifying School graduate Kosuke Hamamoto will be making his debut appearance in the Thailand Open. The Thai-Japanese has enjoyed a solid rookie season so far and is looking to translate his impressive form into a victory when he tees up at the Thai Country Club.