HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY!
The Honda LPGA Thailand will celebrate its 10th anniversary this week in Chonburi as the world’s best female golfers return to Siam Country Club to put on a showcase in front of a country that has visibly embraced the game over the past decade. The event was first held in 2006 at Amata Country Club in Chonburi before relocating to Siam Country Club for the next eight years.
The limited-field, no-cut event has consistently attracted some of the strongest fields of the year and the list of past champions is a snapshot of some of the most successful players on Tour and includes names like Pettersen, Ochoa, Miyazato, Tseng and Inbee.
It’s hard to ignore the correlation between the boom in Thai players on Tour and having an LPGA event in Thailand to help inspire the next generation of players dreaming to make it to the LPGA one day. In 2005, the year prior to this event’s first staging, there was not one Thai player on Tour. This year, after 10 Thailand natives made it through to the final stage of Q School and eight earning Tour status, the number of Thai members has reached an all-time high of 13.
THAILAND NATIVES READY TO PLAY FOR HOME CROWD
This week, many eyes at Siam Country Club will be following the seven Thai players featured in the field and the expectations of Thailand’s female golfers may be at an all-time high this year. An influx of new talent, an event in their native country and two opportunities this summer to represent their country on international stages gives the players from Thailand several chances to make an impact in 2016.
Pornanong Phatlum won the unofficial HSBC Brasil Cup in 2012 but no Thai players have broken into the winner’s circle yet. It’s hard to imagine much more time will pass before the Thai contingent starts hoisting trophies on a consistent basis.
Team Thailand is currently on track to again earn its spot in the UL International Crown and is slated in the 7th spot in the most recent team rankings. In 2014, the Thai contingent had a respectable 6th place showing, finishing ahead of the United States, Chinese Taipei and Australia. The four players who are currently qualified to play in this year’s edition based on their Rolex Ranking are all in the field this week: Pornanong Phatlum (39th), Ariya Jutanugarn (63rd), Moriya Jutanu- garn (111th) and Thidapa Suwannapura (156th).
UL INTERNATIONAL CROWN TEAM STANDINGS - AS OF FEB. 15
1) Republic of Korea 2) United States 3) Japan 4) Chinese Taipei5) England 6) Sweden 7) Thailand 8) Australia
With golf returning to the Olympics this summer, the biggest stage in sports provides a unique opportunity for Thailand to put its name in the conversation for Olympic glory. As of February 15, two Thai players were ranked in the Olympic Golf Rankings and have great shots at earning spots in the field in Rio: Pornanong Phatlum at No. 21 and Ariya Jutanugarn at No. 27.
STRONG FIELD RETURNS TO THAILAND
A star-studded field will be in action in Chonburi this week. Nine of the top 10 and 17 of the top 20 players in the Rolex Rankings will be competing for the $1.6 million purse. All three winners in 2016 (Hyo Joo Kim, Ha Na Jang and Haru Nomura) are slated to play this week as well as six past champions (Suzann Pettersen, Ai Miyazato, Yani Tseng, Inbee Park, Anna Nordqvist and Amy Yang).
AMY YANG SET TO DEFEND TITLE
Amy Yang shot a final-round 69 a year ago to finish two shots clear of Stacy Lewis, Yani Tseng and Mirim Lee and clinched her second LPGA Tour title. She used rounds of 67-66-71-69 to add her name to the esteemed list of champions in Thailand.
Yang would pick up seven more top-10 finishes after her win in 2015 and has made just one start so far this season, a T29 at the Coates Golf Championship.
HARU NOMURA EARNS SPOT IN THE FIELD FRESH OFF WIN IN AUSTRALIA
Haru Nomura closed with a final-round 65 on Sunday to claim her first LPGA Tour victory at the ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open to edge out world No. 1 Lydia Ko by three shots. Nomura joins Ha Na Jang as the two first time winners in the season’s first three events.
The Japan native did not have a spot in the field this week until clinching the win and also earned a spot in next week’s HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore. This will be the 23-year-old’s second start in this event and will try to improve on a T13 finish from last year.
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