ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Totally overshadowed by her younger sister Ariya last year, Moriya Jutanugarn has impressively stepped up a few gears this season and, with her confidence soaring, she appears to be very close to claiming her first LPGA Tour title.
Six top-10s have come her way during 2017, including a runner-up spot at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, and a solid four-under 68 in Friday's rain-swept second round at the Ricoh Women's British Open lifted her into contention for the year's fourth major championship.
Her renowned swing coach Gary Gilchrist, who helped Ariya become World No. 1 earlier this year, believes it is just a matter of time before Moriya breaks through into the winner's circle -- and perhaps as soon as this Sunday.
"In the beginning, she was struggling to play great golf, and now she has started to play great golf so she's over that hill," Gilchrist told LPGA.com about the 23-year-old Thai. "The next step is to say to yourself, 'Okay, what I have is good enough to win.' And then it happens. Don't search, and I don't think she's searching any more.
"She has a great team around her - she has a great putting coach, great mental coaches, myself, and a great caddie who is highly professional. Once a player starts building confidence to a level where they put themselves in a position to win, then that's the big step to close the door. The next thing is you just have to stay very patient.
“The more she puts herself in a position like this, the easier it's going to get. This week she is six under after 36 holes. If she keeps playing well on the weekend and putts the way she knows how to putt, she can close the deal."
SPARKLING FORM
The LPGA Tour's Rookie of the Year in 2013, Moriya has produced sparkling form this week from tee to green at the picturesque Kingsbarns Golf Links to post a six-under total of 138, and just needs a few more birdie putts to drop.
"Two solid rounds, and I had a lot of good birdie chances coming down the last few holes," the ever-smiling Moriya told LPGA.com as she stood under an umbrella by the scorer's hut. "I really enjoy playing on this golf course. This weekend is going to be a case of just trying to have fun."
Moriya hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation during the second round but totaled 32 putts on the huge putting surfaces at Kingsbarns that were running increasingly slow after two days of sporadic but heavy rain.
"I think that's what happens on a links course, sometimes the greens can get really bumpy in the afternoon and the green speed is not fast so you just have to be patient," said Moriya. "The key for me this week has been staying patient, playing my game and just enjoying it."
For Gilchrist, one of Moriya's greatest attributes is her "learning" mind-set.
"She wants to get better and she wants to have people around her that are winners and believe in her and I think her self-image has grown," he said. "The other thing is having her sister have the year that she had last year, and that was hard on her because everybody was talking about her sister."
Ariya, who is now aged 21, led the Tour last year with five wins and recorded 11 additional top-10 finishes, becoming only the second player to win the Rolex Player of the Year, Race to the CME Globe and the LPGA Official Money Title in the same season.
"Since then, they've gone their separate ways at certain LPGA events a little bit and that's made a big difference to Mo," said Gilchrist. "She's built her own self-confidence and I really believe that the way she's carrying herself, she knows she can win now."
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