Thai Teenager Makes Early Splash on LPGA Tour Stage

Pattaya, Thailand: Teenage phenom Atthaya Thitikul entered the 2022 LPGA Tour season as one of the most anticipated rookies in recent history.

The Thai broke onto the international scene with a win at the 2018 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club. The win gave her a berth in the 2018 HSBC Women’s World Championship field, and she made the most of the opportunity with a tie for eighth.

Now just 19 years old, she already has under her belt four victories on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and a fifth-place finish at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship.

Through three starts in her LPGA Tour rookie season, she has two top-11 finishes, including a tie for fourth at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Atthaya was in contention through the weekend right until the end, coming up just short of adding a second Sentosa victory to her resume.

But as she heads into this week’s Honda LPGA Thailand in her home country, Atthaya is gaining her footing and excited for the future.

“I’m really excited to be able to play in my home country. It will be my first time (playing in Thailand) as a pro and as an LPGA member as well. So it should be fun,” she said.

Reflecting on her performance at Sentosa, Attahya added: “The week was pretty great. As I said before, it’s not my ‘A’ game all along. But I would say it’s good enough for me (considering) the change of equipment. I know everyone’s eyes are on me. The pressure is on me.

“But it's always an amazing feeling to be back in Singapore. I feel like at home. I feel like in Thailand, all the winners, people, food, everything. I definitely want to come back again for many more years.”