Sakulpolphaisan's Home Away From Home

From the Far East to the Deep South, Mississippi State Men's Golf member and No.1 ranked JUCO golfer Chanat Sakulpolphaisan still feels at home in Our State.

"I feel like this team is my family," Sakulpolphaisan said. "All the coaches and teammates are very nice to me. Coach Homan always takes care of me when I need help and is a friend that will be there for me."

It can be a challenge to find a place that feels like home when home is hallway around the globe. Sakulpolphaisan's hometown of Chon Buri, Thailand sits almost 10,000 miles away from Starkville and is much different than the small college town that all State fans have come to love.

The tourist hub that is Chon Buri features a few things many Starkvillians never see; beautiful beaches, tigers and mountains. The coastal city of roughly 200,000 inhabitants sits only 62 miles (or the distance from here to Tupelo) away from the almost 7 million residents of the capital city of Bangkok.

So what could Starkville offer that an international beach city couldn't offer? The answer is barbeque. Really good barbeque.

"The food here is very delicious, especially the barbecue. I can go get food everywhere in this town and it only takes five minutes. It doesn't hurt to get a little sauce on your face when you're eating some ribs. I love barbeque."

One name that's associated with Sakulpolphaisan besides "Number one ranked golfer" is "Joe". The nickname didn't originate while being in America, this name was given to Sakulpolphaisan at birth simply because his real name was too long.

"A lot of Thai people have long names that are hard to remember, so almost everybody has a nickname given when they are born."

From a tourist hub to a sports hub, Sakulpolphaisan has made adjustments to his life and has still been successful on the course. One adjustment for the Thai product was transitioning from a community college in Georgia to MSU. But the one thing Sakulpolphaisan had in common with MSU while living in Peach State, was his fandom of Bulldogs.

"Back in Georgia, everyone is a Georgia football fan. While staying in Georgia I was kind of a Bulldog fan, but now I'm a 'real' Bulldog at MSU."

The Bulldogs and "Joe" will tee off the 2012-13 season this Monday at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate in Hattiesburg, Miss.