Singapore: Teenage golfing prodigy Ratchanon Chantananuwat will add another string to his bow when he competes in back-to-back Asian Tour events in Singapore over the next fortnight, marking the first time he’s played in professional tournaments outside his native Thailand.
Based on impressive performances on the Asian Tour and All Thailand Golf Tour last year, the 14-year-old has been invited to play in The Singapore International on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club (January 13-16), followed by the SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club (January 20-23).
“I’m very excited,” said Ratchanon, nicknamed ‘TK’, the first name initials of his father and mother. “I’m a bit pressured to be honest, and definitely nervous as well. But I’m going to enjoy myself as much as possible. It’s a new experience for me.”
There were few signs of nerves last year when the junior was regularly in the headlines.
In the Asian Tour Phuket Series in November and December ‒ the two events that marked the restart of the Asian Tour following a 20-month hiatus caused by Covid-19 ‒ he tied for 15th on 12-under-par at the Blue Canyon Championship following a closing 65. A week later he finished joint 30th at the Laguna Phuket Championship.
On the All Thailand Golf Tour, Ratchanon, who attends Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok, has come close to winning on numerous occasions. He was second in the Singha Laguna Phuket Open, equal third in the Singha Thailand Masters and joint fifth in the Singha All Thailand Championship.
He said: “I’m really happy with how 2021 turned out. I could have won but I’m happy with how I managed myself being in contention and putting myself in contention in the first place.
“I think I’ve done pretty good for the past tournaments. I’m hitting it further and my ball striking is a bit better. Overall, I’ve improved a bit in every component as a player.”
Ratchanon is grateful for the support he’s received from many of Thailand’s big-name players.
He said: “I’m a really lucky kid that I’ve got the experience from playing with a lot of good players like Prom Meesawat and Thongchai Jaidee.
“The advice I’ve taken from most of them is to have fun out there. I’m still an amateur and it’s going to be the first time playing outside of the country, so I won’t pressure myself too much.
“My golfing idol is Thongchai (Jaidee). I’m lucky I got to practise with him and experience golf with him. He’s not just a great player who has won multiple times on the Asian Tour, he’s also a really nice guy and he tries to share what he has with me. I think I’m really lucky with that. It’s really very valuable.”
This year’s Singapore Open Amateur champion Ryan Ang and fellow Singapore national squad players Justin Kuk and Brandon Han will be the other leading amateurs in the SMBC Singapore Open.
The Singapore International and the SMBC Singapore Open are the 2020-21 season-ending events on the Asian Tour.
