Amateur Ratchanon Proving a Cut Above the Rest

Phuket, Thailand: Thai teen sensation Ratchanon Chantananuwat’s stock continued to soar with an accomplished performance against the professionals at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship, his Asian Tour debut.

The 14-year-old schoolboy, nicknamed TK, signed off a memorable week at Blue Canyon Country Club with a closing seven-under-par 65 to finish in a tie for 15th on 12-under.

The US$1 million event, won by Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang, marked a poignant resumption for the Asian Tour following a 20-month hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was the seventh time in a row that Ratchanon, who is studying for his IGCEs at Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok, has finished as the low amateur in a professional event.

“It’s my first Asian Tour event and I have basically loved being here since Monday,” said Ratchanon, who became the third youngest player to make the cut on the Asian Tour. In 2010, Jazz Janewattananond became the youngest player, at age 14 years 71 days, to play all four rounds in an Asian Tour event at the Asian Tour International in Bangkok, as an amateur. Jazz missed the cut at Blue Canyon.

Ratchanon cited 30-foot putts for par and birdie at the opening two holes as the catalyst for his final-round flourish. “I am going to be completely honest, if that didn’t happen on one and two, I probably would have finished two-over,” he said.

“Those putts turned my day around. I made all the birdie putts when I had to, but I did still miss quite a lot. I am really happy to win best amateur in my first Asian Tour event.”

Ratchanon, who was 11-under-par over the weekend, will now head into next week’s Laguna Phuket Championship brimming with confidence, and a likely place among the top-200 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Both Phuket events, called the Asian Tour Phuket Series, boast prize-money of US$1 million and will be followed by two events being planned in Singapore in January that will bring to a conclusion the 2020-21 season.

Having performed admirably on the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) this year, Ratchanon was far from overawed to be teeing-up with many of the region’s leading professionals.

He recently placed second in the Singha Laguna Phuket Open, at Laguna Golf Phuket, and joint fifth in the Singha All Thailand Championship on the Canyon Course at Blue Canyon Country Club.

The leading amateur in last month’s Thailand Open where he tied for 16th, he’s the youngest player to make the cut on the ATGT at 13 years, four months and 18 days.