This is one of the chaps who got Colin Montgomery so worked up after he wasn't given an invitation to play this year, despite being significantly higher in the world rankings than Prayad and a couple of other Asian players. I think the competitors in The Masters are part drawn on the basis of world ranking and partly on invitations.
Prayad's got quite a bit to do to make the cut:
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BangkokPost.com, Agencies
Hua Hin star Prayad Marksaeng feels playing in the Masters in Georgia is a dream come true, but he had a nightmare first round, finishing near the bottom of the leaderboard.
Prayad finished with a hugely disappointing score of nine over par, tied for last place in the tournament among active players.
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Earlier report:
Hua Hin star Prayad Marksaeng feels playing in the Masters in Georgia is a dream come true, and has made him determined to do what countrymen Sukree Onsham and Thongchai Jaidee could not: Qualify to play in all four rounds of the Songkran weekend.
NOTE: The Masters begins on Thai TV (Star Sports) at 2am.
In a pre-tournament interview at the Augusta National Golf Club in the US state of Georgia, Prayad said that he owes it to himself to perform well in the year's opening Major.
"It's a dream come true for me," he said.
"It's always been my ambition to play in the Masters at least once in my life. I was in top form in 2007 and it made me feel confident that I could earn an invitation."
In addition to the world's best known Thai-American, Tiger Woods, Prayad will be playing alongside Asian Tour stalwarts Jeev Milkha Singh of India and China's Liang Wen-chong.
Prayad is scheduled to tee off at three minutes to midnight Thailand time on Thursday night, two hours before live TV coverage begins. His threesome partners are also veterans: two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer of Germany and American Woody Austin.
On Friday evening Thailand time, Prayad, Langer and Austin will tee off at 8:40pm.
"I would like to take a big step for Thai golf by playing in all four rounds because Sukree and Thongchai failed to do that," said Prayad.
Prayad, now 42 and a millionaire, still vividly remembers picking up balls at the Royal Hua Hin course when he was a youngster.
"I've got a good family, a good life now," Prayad said. But "golf has certainly changed my life, it's given me my life. I would have died somewhere in Thailand if it wasn't for golf.
"If I wasn't a golfer, you wouldn't know who Prayad Marksaeng is."
He is hoping that everyone will know Prayad Marksaeng after this weekend.