Jasmine Suwannapura’s parents live 30 minutes away from Siam Country Club. Unfortantely, with the COVID-19 measures put in place for this year’s event, the Bangkok native can’t venture home during the week at the Honda LPGA Thailand. “I told [my parents] the most you can do is go out to main road and look at the bus and wave at me,” said Suwannapura, who last traveled to her home country during this tournament in 2019.
Suwannapura is playing in her eighth Honda LPGA Thailand, where her best finish is a tie for 14th back in 2014. Since she last played here in 2019, she’s added another win to her resume at the 2019 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational alongside her playing partner Cydney Clanton, and two additional top-five finishes at the 2020 AIG Women’s Open (2nd) and 2020 Cambia Portland Classic (T5). She’s hoping that comfortable feeling she gets returning to her national waters shows this week in Chonburi, even if she has to go without her favorite hometown meals.
“It’s good to be back. The golf course is similar, we know the course. Similar smell, similar golf course. I can speak my own language again,” said Suwannapura with a smile. “I talked to my parents, and I had a long list of Thai food that I wanted to eat. Long list. You know, all the eastern food – like Thai eastern food from home – I can only imagine what it tastes like.”