Khon Kaen (Thailand): Asian Tour heavyweights are expected to make the King’s Cup an intriguing affair when the $500,000 event tees off at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club here Thursday.

The presence of seven of the top-10 players on the Asian Tour Order of Merit will give the King’s Cup top billing with the red carpet already rolled out to welcome the region’s best players here.

All eyes will be on India’s Anirban Lahiri who is seeking to secure the winner’s prize purse worth $90,000 and close the gap on Korean-American David Lipsky whom he trails by slightly over $160,000.

The 27-year-old Indian looks set to be the man to beat as he is having the form of his life, winning twice on the Asian Tour this season and earning his playing rights for Europe last week.

“I’m really happy with my result last week but I’m focused on what I need to do here and I still got a great chance to win the Order of Merit and that would really make it a perfect year,” said Lahiri.

Apart from a win this week, Lahiri is also targeting to break into the top-50 on the  by the end of the year.

“I’m committed to bettering my world ranking and trying to chase David down would probably go hand in hand because I’ve to do well in these last few events to push into that top-50 spot. There’s a lot to play for obviously and motivation going into these last few weeks.”