Thai Teenager’s Stock Continues to Soar

Singapore: Teenage prodigy Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat has had some stiff Asian Tour examinations these past three months. He’s passed them all with flying colours.

On the back of an accomplished string of performances, the 14-year-old Thai schoolboy’s stock has soared.

Once more defying the doubters, Ratchanon played all four rounds in last week’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers – the fifth Asian Tour event in succession in which he’s made the half-way cut.

Thanks to his latest effort at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in the Asian Tour’s 2022 season-opener, Ratchanon has broken new ground – advancing into the top-50 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) for the first time.

Up 10 spots to 44th, he also has the distinction of now being the number one rated Thai player in the standings.

The teenager’s meteoric rise can also be measured by the fact that he now features in the top-500 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), the system that rates all professional golfers.

In 465th place, the Bangkok-based Shrewsbury International School student has only six of his compatriots ahead of him.

Although he says maths is his least favourite subject at school, Ratchanon will have added up the numbers and realised that if he’d been a professional golfer he’d have collected more than US$120,000 in winnings from his appearances in the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship (tied 15th); Laguna Phuket Championship (tied 30th); The International (third); SMBC Singapore Open (tied 34th) and PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers (71st).

Despite the obvious temptation to relinquish his amateur status and cash in on his talent, Ratchanon accepts that neither is he ready to take the leap to turn pro, nor is he planning to do so in the foreseeable future.

“My plan is I’m going to stay in school and then do a couple years of college,” he said, confirming that joining a member of the Ivy League would be his preference.

“I’m not 100 per cent sure yet because I’m not even sure what subject I’m going to choose. I’m still too young. They can’t even contact me,” he said.

He’s not too young, though, to set his sights high. Asked specifically which colleges he’d be interested in, he said: “Stanford would be one. I would love to go to Stanford … or maybe something like Oklahoma, which has proven to be a decent school academically and really good for golfers or athletes in general. I’m going to try to go for top schools that will help me in my golf as well.”

Inevitably, his recent displays have attracted attention from America’s foremost college golf coaches, always seeking to stay ahead of the game – and their rivals – by recruiting the world’s finest sporting talent.

Meanwhile, those charged with undertaking character assessments will no doubt be thrilled to have listened to Ratchanon’s post-tournament comments in Saudi where there was not the slightest hint that he’ll be resting on his laurels.

“This is definitely new for me,” he said, referring to the strength of the field which included four of the top-10 in the OWGR and a dozen Major champions.

Having played alongside Cameron Smith and Lee Westwood in Saudi, Ratchanon acknowledged that his game is still some way short of the top tier.

“They’re so much better. I have a lot of work to do,” said Ratchanon, aware how lucky he is to have been presented with so many opportunities to participate in Asian Tour events, enabling him to gauge the state of his game compared to the pros.

“I’m very fortunate. I’m probably one of the few people, if not the only kid, to get to play these tournaments often. I’m picking up quite a lot of things. I guess to other 14-year-olds or kids younger than me, I think just come watch. You won’t get to play yourself, but you’ll definitely get to see different things.”

Following his own advice, Ratchanon wasted no time after finishing his final round at Royal Greens to return to the course, specifically to watch Dustin Johnson in action.

Neither is he backward about coming forward and asking questions.

“He’s not afraid to ask questions. He asked me about a shot I played on 17 with a three-wood,” said European Ryder Cup veteran Westwood.

“First and foremost, he’s a lovely young man, credit to his parents. Secondly, he’s good, a lot of game. If I didn’t know and I just took him on face value, he doesn’t look like he’s got too many weaknesses. Knowing that he’s 14, the weaknesses he does have are going to get ironed out through still growing.

“He’s got a great opportunity if he doesn’t fall into one of the pitfalls you can run into. If he just carried on now and just lets himself develop, he’ll turn into a very good player,” predicted Westwood.

While the next few weeks will see him playing catch-up at school, it won’t be long before Ratchanon is back in the international golfing spotlight when he lines up in The Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club (March 17-19).

The Junior Invitational welcomes the best golfers from around the world to the South Carolina venue, with the promise of significant WAGR points at stake.

“Everyone’s telling me it’s a great tournament and a great course – heaven for golfers. I’m going to be off a week from school. I’m going to enjoy that as much as possible and then catch up again,” said Ratchanon, learning new lessons every step of the way.