Boonchu Ruangkit

Boonchu Ruangkit
Boonchu Ruangkit
Personal information
Born	12 May 1956 (age 67); Bangkok, Thailand
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb; 13.4 st)
Sporting nationality	Thailand
Residence	Bangkok, Thailand
Career
Turned professional	1986
Current tour(s)	European Senior Tour
Former tour(s)	Asian Tour; Champions Tour
Professional wins	19
Number of wins by tour
Asian Tour	5
European Senior Tour	5
Other	9
Achievements and awards
TPC Tour; Order of Merit winner
TPC Tour; Order of Merit winner	2006
European Senior Tour; Order of Merit winner	2010
European Senior Tour; Rookie of the Year	2010

Boonchu Ruangkit (born 12 May 1956) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Champions Tour.

Early life edit

As a young man, Boonchu tried for a career in kick boxing, but he gave it up after being knocked out cold in his third bout. He made his mark in golf when he won the 1985 Australian Amateur.

Professional career edit

Boonchu turned professional in 1986. He has won five titles on the Asian Tour since its first modern season in 1995, and has several other victories to his name. He was the runner-up on the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 1995 and also made the top ten in 1998 and 2004. In the latter year he won the Thailand Open for the second time in his career at the age of 47.

In 2006, Boonchu turned 50 and became eligible to play in senior tournaments. He finished first in the 2006 Champions Tour Qualifying School and joined the Champions Tour in 2007. In 2010, he joined the European Senior Tour and won four events (including three straight) and the Order of Merit.

Amateur wins edit

1985 Australian Amateur, Putra Cup (individual and team)

Professional wins (19) edit

Asian Tour wins (5) edit

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	1 Oct 1995	Langkawi Open	−15 (67-71-67-68=273)	7 strokes	Jamnian Chitprasong
2	7 Jan 1996 (1995 season)	Myanmar Open	+5 (68-72-76-77=293)	Playoff	Jeff Senior
3	29 Sep 1996	Lexus International	−12 (75-69-67-65=276)	Playoff	Mike Cunning
4	6 Apr 1997	London Myanmar Open (2)	−15 (72-65-68-68=273)	Playoff	John Senden
5	25 Jan 2004	Thailand Open	−18 (68-66-69-67=270)	5 strokes	Kim Jong-duck, Prayad Marksaeng

Asian Tour playoff record (3–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1996	Myanmar Open	Jeff Senior	Won with par on first extra hole
2	1996	Lexus International	Mike Cunning	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1997	London Myanmar Open	John Senden	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	2009	Brunei Open	Darren Beck, Gaganjeet Bhullar	Beck won with birdie on third extra hole Ruangkit eliminated by par on second hole

Asia Golf Circuit wins (1) edit

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	5 Apr 1992	Thai International Thailand Open	−13 (70-69-66-70=275)	4 strokes	Richard Backwell, Rémi Bouchard, Thaworn Wiratchant

TPC Tour wins (6) edit

2000 TPC Championships
2002 TPC Championships
2003 Singha Classic
2004 Chevrolet Championship
2006 Singha Masters, Singha E-San Open

Other wins (1) edit

1998 Mercuries Masters (Taiwan)

European Senior Tour wins (5) edit

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	7 Mar 2010	Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters	−14 (64-69-66=199)	Playoff	Frankie Miñoza
2	14 Mar 2010	Chang Thailand Senior Masters	−21 (64-66-65=195)	11 strokes	Jamnian Chitprasong, Frankie Miñoza, Katsuyoshi Tomori
3	28 Mar 2010	Berenberg Bank Masters	−3 (69-78-69=216)	3 strokes	Bobby Lincoln, Sam Torrance
4	17 Oct 2010	Benahavis Senior Masters	−16 (68-65-64=197)	7 strokes	John Gould, Carl Mason
5	4 Sep 2011	Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters	−9 (68-68-71=207)	4 strokes	Gordon Brand Jnr, Roger Chapman, Barry Lane