Agence France-Presse

MANILA - Malaysian star Danny Chia will be banking on his new-found confidence to inspire him to success at the Philippine Open starting Thursday.

Chia believes his commanding performance at the British Open qualifiers in Singapore last week has given him the extra drive needed for the 300,000 dollar Asian Tour event.

The 36-year-old Malaysian last tasted victory at the 2002 Taiwan Open but, backed by a rejuvenated mental game, Chia hopes to tackle the famed Wack Wack Golf and Country Club and claim the top prize of 47,550 dollars.

Other title contenders this week include nine-time Asian Tour winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, in-form Taiwanese star Lin Wen-tang, who triumphed at the Asian Tour International two weeks ago, Korea's Lee Sung, Filipino Juvic Pagunsan and defending champion Frankie Minoza.

Chia enjoyed two solid rounds at last month's Malaysian Open and was the joint leader midway through before costly mental errors saw him slip away over the weekend. Chia then bounced back at the qualifiers and will now head into Manila brimming with confidence.

"The experience in Malaysia has made me a stronger person. I think I was too focused on getting a good result, which made me lose my concentration, rather than to focus on the task at hand. At the British Open qualifiers, I was taking it one shot at a time and it worked out."

Pagunsan, who won his breakthrough title at the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational last year, is pleased to have regained his rhythm after an injury-plagued start to his 2007 season.

"I'm glad I did not have the start like it was in 2007. I injured my collarbone early last year and it took me six months to recover. That is why my form started to pick up towards the end of the year," he said.

"I feel good about all aspects of my game now and I'm ready for the challenges this week," added Pagunsan, who finished runner-up as an amateur in the 2004 edition followed by a top-10 result in 2005.

Minoza, with an impressive 16 professional titles in the past three decades, will lead the local charge as he returns to defend his title ahead of Taiwan's Lin, who will be eager for a second consecutive win this season.

The Philippine Open is the eighth leg of the 2008 Asian tour.