Portland, Oregon, United States: Thailand’s conveyer belt of golfing talent has churned out yet another Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour winner in the shape of teenager Chanettee Wannasaen.
The 19-year-old from Chiangmai, who represented her country in the 2019 Queen Sirikit Cup, claimed the Portland Classic in impressive fashion. She’s the seventh Thai player to have won on the LPGA Tour.
Chanettee posted rounds of 68, 66, 65 and 63 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club for a tournament record total of 26-under-par 262, outpacing nearest challenger Lin Xiyu of China by four shots.
With her victory, Chanettee became only the third Monday qualifier to win on the LPGA Tour, joining Canada's Brooke Henderson, who achieved the same feat at this event in 2015, and American Laurel Kean at the State Farm Classic in 2000.
Four years ago, at the Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia, Chanettee teamed up with Natthakritta Vongtaveelap and Yosita Khawnuna when Thailand finished fourth in the Queen Sirikit Cup. Natthakritta, a two-time runner-up in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific, is now also plying her trade on the LPGA Tour.
Entering the final round in Portland one shot behind pace-setting American Megan Khang, Chanettee seized control of the tournament with a spectacular five-hole stretch from the third where she made four birdies and an eagle.
The Thai, who collected a cheque for US$225,000, was never really challenged from there and chalked up three more birdies.
“I’ve been waiting for the win for so long. I knew that I could do it and the results were not what I expected earlier in the year. This week I had a lot of belief that I can do it. Even when I missed a shot or made a mistake, I knew that I could fight back and do better. Basically, I just believed in myself a lot more,” said Chanettee.
Prior to the Portland victory, Chanettee had won three times since turning professional in 2021 with two titles on the Thai LPGA Tour and one on the Ladies European Tour Access Series.
She had come close to claiming her first win on American soil a week earlier at the Epson Tour’s Circling Raven Championship, losing a play-off to China’s Ren Yue in Idaho. The Epson Tour is the official qualifying circuit for the LPGA Tour.
Chanettee said that the play-off experience at Circling Raven Golf Club helped bolster her confidence, having previously only made the cut twice in 11 starts on this year’s LPGA Tour.
“Last week really gave me confidence. I just carried on and built on that,” she said.
China’s Yin Ruoning, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for her first Major title this year, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and American Gina Kim tied for third on 20-under-par.
Last week’s CPKC Women’s Open champion Khang settled for solo sixth one shot further back after a closing 71.
Chanattee is the LPGA Tour’s 10th Rolex First-Time Winner in 2023 and the second Thai, following Pajaree Anannarukarn at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards.
