May 29: 

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee has been invited to play in this week's Wales Open at Celtic Manor Resort, further boosting his hopes of earning a European Tour card for next season.

The former Asian PGA number one featured in last week's Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth Club following a late sponsor's invite and he made the weekend play after initially stealing the limelight with an opening 67 which left him in tied second place.

Thongchai was subsequently told after the Volvo event where he finished tied 64th that he had earned a tee time in Wales. He will play alongside Swede Jarmo Sandelin and Scotland's Alastair Forsythe, both European Tour winners, in the opening two rounds.

It came as a pleasant surprise as the former soldier was planning to spend the off week practising ahead of next week's British Masters.

He received the exemption into the British Masters after TCL, one of the main sponsors on the Asian PGA Tour, handed him the spot based on his runner-up finish to Scotland's Colin Montgomerie at last year's inaugural TCL Classic in China.

The promoters of the British Masters, International Sports Management, had given a sponsor's slot to TCL after the Chinese telecommunication giants invited ISM-managed players as Lee Westwood, Andrew Coltart and Paul McGinley to play in China last year.

Thongchai, currently ranked 61st on the European Tour Order of Merit, needs to finish inside the top-115 at the end of the season to earn full playing privileges in Europe next season. He has already posted three top-10s.

The Thai was hailed "as the best Asian that I've played with" by Montgomerie last season after battling with the big Scot at the weekend for the TCL crown. Montgomerie also said that Thongchai has the game to succeed on any Tour.

In Wales this week, current Asian PGA Tour Order of Merit leader Arjun Atwal and Korea's Charlie Wi will also be in the fray.