Bangkok, Thailand: Former amateur golfing prodigy Aree Song Wongluekiet has been installed as coach to the Thai national women’s squad.

Wongluekiet’s new role was confirmed by Jittakarn Lamsam, President of the Thailand Ladies Golf Association (TALGA).

Daughters of a Thai mother and Korean father, Aree and her twin sister, Naree, made headlines in the 1990s when representing Thailand in junior team competitions.

Recognised as one of 20 ‘Asia Heroes Under 40’ by TIME Asia in 2004, Aree went on to qualify for the LPGA Tour at her first attempt. She and Naree became the first set of twins to compete on the LPGA Tour.

Between 1999 and 2001, Aree won 15 national junior tournaments in the United States, including the US Girls Junior Championship in 1999.

In 2000, at the age of 13, she tied for 10th in the Nabisco Championship and played the final round in the final pairing with Karrie Webb and Dottie Pepper.

In August 2000, at the age of 14, she became the youngest player ever to advance to the semi-finals of the US Women’s Amateur Championship.

She finished 13th in the 2000 Safeway LPGA Golf Championship and was named the 2000 Golf Digest and GolfWeek Girls Junior Player of the Year and American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Player of the Year.

Aree participated in the 2002 World Amateur Team Championships in Malaysia, placed first individually and helped the Thailand team to a second-place finish, controversially losing out on a countback to Australia after the teams finished level at the end of regulation play.

At the 2003 US Women’s Open, Aree was paired in the second-to-last group with Annika Sorenstam and finished fifth.

Having made six out of six cuts as an amateur in LPGA Major championships, twice finishing in the top-10, Aree turned professional in August 2003. After being granted permission from then-LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw to receive an age exemption, she applied to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.

As youngsters, Aree and Naree underwent a training programme conducted by the TALGA.

Now running her own golf instruction school in Thailand, as TALGA’s national coach, Aree will pass on her extensive experience to the next generation of Thai golfers.