Thongchai Jaidee is from Thailand. Thongchai joined the Thai army as a paratrooper at the age of 19 to serve two years of mandatory service. He taught himself to play golf on the Lopburi Golf Club, north of Bangkok. He remained in the Thai army for nine more years so he would have access to a golf course and could pursue his dream of becoming a pro golfer. Thongchai first began playing golf at age 16 by tying the discarded head of a 5-iron to a bamboo stick. In December, Jaidee won on the Asian Tour at the Johnnie Walker Open.  

 

He has five career European Tour titles and in 2004, he became the first Thai golfer to win an event on The European Tour with a victory in the Malaysian Open. In 2005, he successfully defended that title and in June he earned a victory at the Wales Open. Thongchai uses an Odyssey putter.