Patty Tavatanakit fired an exceptional final round of 65 (-7) to win the 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF by seven shots. The major champion produced a wire-to-wire victory with rounds of 66-70-69-65 at Riyadh Golf Club to win with a score of 18-under-par. It is a fifth professional victory for the 24-year-old, her first on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and her first since winning the 2021 ANA Inspiration.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played this good,” she said. “It’s very emotional, I’m very emotional right now with how I have overcome that and looking back it was just one day at a time, keep working hard.
“I worked really hard to get here. To play this solid all week, I just want to thank my team. The coaches, the trainers back home, I really appreciate them. Thanks to Jason for sticking around as well. I’m just I’m so grateful for the people I have around me and my life. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m just soaking it all in right now. It’s incredible. Just being here in Saudi and I was able to do that. It’s unreal.”
Tavatanakit began the day with a three-shot lead and started with a birdie on the first in Riyadh before sinking a 12-foot eagle putt on the fifth. The Thai star had a tap-in birdie on the par-three eighth when she hit her tee shot to just one foot and duly rolled in the putt.After the turn Tavatanakit continued her charge with birdies on 11, 13 and 16, she did drop a shot on the 17th but finished in style with a birdie on 18 to seal an emphatic seven-shot victory.
She continued: “I came to play. It was a little bit more relaxing today, but I knew I still had to face myself out there. I just told myself to keep pedalling. Just try to make as many birdies as I can out there, and it worked out great today. Esther played really well today, so I think a lot of girls out here are really really good golfers and I have a lot of respect for them. I knew I had to go out there and play good golf and so I did.
“If anything, I feel like I’ve grown so much over the past couple of years just as a person off and on the course as well. I’m just going to continue to grow and learn and that’s all you can do in life.”
Germany's Esther Henseleit finished the tournament in outright second place after producing a round of 69 (-3) on the final day. The 2019 LET Order of Merit winner had five birdies and two bogeys on her scorecard to round off an excellent week in Riyadh.
“I played well today,” said Henseleit. “To be honest, after nine I don’t know if I was still in it, but I just couldn’t really get it going after the turn and I didn’t make enough birdies to keep up with Patty. She hardly missed a shot today and it was really cool to have a front row seat of the Patty show. I played well this week; I made a lot of birdies. I played well under pressure today and holed some good putts coming in to keep myself in second place.
“I am really excited for what is to come this year. I had some really good finishes last year, I couldn’t get it done in the end. I feel I’m getting better every year, getting stronger every year and also mentally, I feel I’m in a really good place. I’m really looking forward to this year. Solheim Cup is definitely on my list for this year. It would be an honour to play for Europe, it’s always been my dream since I was a little girl. I’m trying my best to be there, so we will see.”
Japan's Minami Katsu and England's Charley Hull ended the week in a share of third place on nine-under-par. Katsu also fired a final round of 65 (-7) to catapult up the leaderboard with eight birdies and one bogey to her name.
“Today from the first hole, I was hitting it good and putting well,” said the Japanese star. “In the second half of my round, I had four birdies in a row, so I feel it was a very good day and very good round. There has been a great atmosphere here. It was windy to start but it’s been really good and I have really enjoyed my week.
“This is the second tournament of the year; I have just been trying to make sure the swing is in good condition, but everything played pretty well. I’m feeling good about everything, and I hope it will continue.”
Three-time LET winner Hull began with a birdie on the first before making two more on the fourth and fifth holes. The English star, who is eighth in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, dropped shots on the sixth and 10th and 16th holes but had two more birdies on the 12th and 15th holes for a final round of two-under.
Hull said: “Top three is pretty good, I’m happy about that. I left so many putts out there today, I hit it so well. It was tricky. I felt like I didn’t putt too bad, but there were just some little mis-reads and I’m happy with my performance. My first event on the LPGA a few weeks ago was a top-10 finish and then another top-10 here, so my game is definitely going in the right direction.”
Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen finished in solo fifth place on eight-under-par after shooting a final round of 69 (-3). One shot further back on seven-under-par was former Aramco Saudi Ladies International champion and five-time LET winner Emily Kristine Pedersen. Three players were in a share of seventh place with England’s Alice Hewson, Korea’s So Mi Lee and Japan’s Yuka Saso on six-under-par. South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda rounded out the top 10 in Riyadh on five-under-par.
Next week the LET heads to Rabat in Morocco for the Lalla Meryem Cup which takes place at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue Course) from February 22-24. Follow all the action @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #RaiseOurGame #GolfAndMore
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