June 07, 2018: Kiradech Aphibarnrat‘s success on the international stage has been rewarded with a Special Temporary Membership for the remainder of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season.
Kiradech, the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, needed to earn 269 non-member FedExCup points to become eligible for Special Temporary Membership, equal to the number of points earned by the player at 150th in last season’s FedExCup standings.
The 28-year-old is the first native of Thailand to accept PGA TOUR membership. In eight PGA TOUR starts in 2017-18, he has two top-five finishes – a pair of tied-fifths at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. He surpassed the required total of 269 non-member FedExCup points following a tied-30th at THE PLAYERS Championship. Most recently, he finished tied-13th at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, bringing his total to 340.
Kiradech came into the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season ranked 147th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Following his tied-13th finish at the Memorial, he climbed to 31st.
In 34 career starts on the PGA TOUR, Kiradech has collected five top-10s, highlighted by a tied-third showing at the 2013 CIMB Classic.
Kiradech is the winner of five international titles, most recently the 2018 ISPS HANDA World Super 6 in Perth, Australia on the Asian Tour. He has also won the 2011 SAIL OPEN and the 2013 Maybank Malaysian Open on Asia’s premier circuit.
As a Special Temporary Member, Kiradech is eligible for unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the 2017-18 season as he attempts to earn PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-19 season through the Non-member FedExCup Points List.
To earn his card for 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season, Kiradech will need to match or surpass the points earned by the 125th on the FedExCup Standings at the end of the current season.
Asian Tour Release
