Stanford University alum Albane Valenzuela played her heart out on Sunday at the Honda LPGA Thailand, carding a bogey-free, 9-under 63 that saw her make seven birdies and an eagle at Siam Country Club’s Old Course to try and make a late run at Patty Tavatanakit for her first LPGA Tour title.
Starting the day five shots back of the 54-hole lead held by Tavatanakit at 11-under, the 26-year-old struck early, making birdie on the par-5 1st hole to get to 12-under overall. She then rattled off three straight pars on holes two, three and four before holing out for eagle on the par-4 5th hole – her highlight of the round – to move to 3-under on the day and to 14-under for the tournament.
She parred out on the front nine to turn in 33, still five back of Tavatanakit with nine holes to go, but Valenzuela put the pedal to the metal late as she worked to chase down her fellow 2020 rookie in Chonburi, Thailand.
After a par on No. 10, Valenzuela birdied 11 to get to 15-under overall, and then rattled off three consecutive birdies on holes 13, 14 and 15 to move to 18-under, threatening Tavatanakit’s lead with four holes to play. The Thailand native dropped a shot on the par-4 15th hole just as Valenzuela birdied the par-4 17th hole, leaving the pair tied at 19-under for a brief moment before Tavatanakit birdied 16 to move one ahead once again.
Refusing to be silenced, Valenzuela backed up her birdie at 17 with another birdie on the par-5 18th hole, closing out her career-best round of 63 and posting the clubhouse lead at 20-under. While a Tavatanakit birdie on the last ultimately dashed Valenzuela’s hopes for a playoff and a potential first victory at the Honda LPGA Thailand, she was still incredibly pleased with her effort on Sunday at Siam Country Club, especially considering how far out of it she was at the beginning of the final round.
“I gave everything I had. I did not leave anything on the table,” said Valenzuela, whose 53 propelled her to a solo second finish. “Dug in deep but also stayed extremely calm. It's funny, yesterday I felt a little bit more nervous. Today, I just had the sense of inner peace that I could do it.
“I was just foot on the gas and tried to go get it. I told my dad, ‘Let's get to 20 (under).’ I'm just really proud of myself. I fought really hard, and I see that I can make putts under pressure. I have the level to compete at this stage, and my time will come.”
Her runner-up performance is now Valenzuela’s career-best result on the LPGA Tour, improving upon her previous benchmark of T4 that she has recorded on two separate occasions at the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer and the 2023 Chevron Championship, a nice consolation prize if you aren’t the one hoisting a trophy after a final round.
And even though she would’ve loved to have taken on Tavatanakit in extra holes, the LPGA Tour veteran knows just how pivotal an early performance like this one can be for the rest of her fifth season on Tour. Valenzuela’s now excited to build upon the things she learned this week at the Honda LPGA Thailand as she eyes the rest of her 2024 schedule, one that will hopefully include both the Paris Olympics and the Solheim Cup.
“I love it, and I want to be in this position more often, and I hope I'll put myself in this position next time,” said the Switzerland native. “I've never enjoyed playing a Sunday as much as I did today because of how calm I was. I told my dad, I finally got out of my way, and I really understood a lot about myself today.
“I'm not going to lie to you by saying there were not a lot of doubts early in the season. I doubted myself a little bit as a competitor, and I think days like today prove I have it in my heart. It's huge for me, but I think it just shows all the hard work I put in. I really grinded with my team. Started with a new coach, and it's been really good. I'm happy to see the results pay off.”
We have a tie for the lead! 👀@AlbaneGolf birdies the 17th and is tied with Patty Tavatanakit at -19! pic.twitter.com/1kczibthst
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 25, 2024
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