Thai No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn will lead the home challenge for honours at the $1.6 million Honda LPGA Thailand 2017 ladies golf championship, being held at its traditional venue of Siam Country Club in Pattaya from Feb. 23-26.
Jutanugarn has played in the Honda LPGA Thailand 8 times since making her debut in 2007 when she was only an 11-year-old amateur player. Her best result so far was in 2013, when she came close to winning the championship but was pipped at the post by Inbee Park after blowing a two shot lead on the final hole.
That very public meltdown and a subsequent shoulder injury led to the Thai starlet struggling to find her game for a long period afterwards, culminating in her missing ten cuts in succession on the Tour in 2015. But over the past 12 months she has finally started to realize her full potential and has blossomed into one of the world’s finest players.
Last season Jutanugarn won five times on the LPGA Tour (the most by any player) and currently stands at No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings behind New Zealand’s Lydia Ko. With her victory at the British Open in 2016 she became the first-ever golf major champion (male or female) from Thailand and was voted last season’s LPGA Player of the Year and also Thailand Professional Athlete of the Year.
“I just feel like I changed my focus (last year), so right now my focus is like what’s going to be good, and what is under my control, not thinking about anything else,” says Jutanugarn, a native of Bangkok.
Joining her to fly the flag for Thailand next week will be older sister Moriya and the always colorfully dressed Pornanong Phatlum, the leading Thai player on the current 2017 money list. A host of world stars will be trying to take the title and trophy out of Thailand, including last year’s Honda LPGA winner Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis, Suzann Pettersen, Inbee Park and a relative who’s who of the best female golfers on the planet.
Golf fans can purchase admission tickets in advance at Thai Ticket Major to avoid queuing on the day or simply pay on the door. Admission prices are as follows: Thursday, February 23 and Friday, February 24 – 300 THB/day; Saturday, February 25 – 400 THB; Sunday, February 26 – 500 THB; Four-Day Package – 800 THB. Entrance is free for children below 18 years old and senior citizens over 60 years old. The gates open at 08.30 hrs. on February 23-24 and at 08.00 hrs. on February 25-26.
This 4-day tournament will be broadcasted worldwide for golf fans on the Golf Channel. Thai fans can watch live broadcasting on Channel 7 and Channel 35 HD on Thursday, February 23 and Friday, February 24 at 14.00-17.00, on Saturday, February 25 at 15.00-17.00 and Sunday, February 26 at 15.00-17.15.
For more information, go to website: www.lpgathailand.com.
