Thailand pro-golfer Jazz Janewattananond will be heading his way towards the United States Masters with techniques to keep him level-headed during matches.
The ex-buddhist monk has meditation techniques in store – a background of which has been the talk of Asian golf as the 24-year-old heads to Augusta with two tournament victories, win at the Asian tour order of merit and an impressive performance at the PGA Championship at Bethpage, as per reports from Agence France Presse.
Now part of the golf’s top 50 players in the world, Jazz is now the second highest Asian in the rankings, just behind Im Sung-jae of South Korea. He also bagged four 2019 Asian Tour awards, and gained the confidence of his fellow pro golfers as he was hailed as the Players’ Player of the Year.
Jazz got his name from his father who loves music and began his journey in golf as one of the youngest players at 14 years and 71 days, making him a teen prodigy at Bangkok’s Asian Tour event back in 2010.
Things weren’t all smooth for the young prodigy as he lost his Asian Tour in 2016 where he decided to spend two weeks to live as a Buddhist monk afterwards.
Jazz remembers shaving his head, wearing saffron robes at the northern Chiang Rain region’s monastery where he experienced fasting, chanting and learned his now iconic meditative techniques.
Months after his time in the monastery, Jazz then won his first Asian Tour that took place in Bangladesh.
Following his time at the monastery and his first win at Bangladesh, Jazz then won five more Tours and now ranked higher than U.S. PGA Tour player and fellow countryman Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who Jazz acknowledges as his ‘older brother’
