Ladies world golf No. 1, Lydia Ko, is excited to be back at the Honda LPGA Thailand for the first time after three years and is expecting to be in her best form. Local golfing star, Pornanong Phatlum, is also in great form and confident to finish in the top-10, and would also like to see a Thai player win the title.
Ko, the 20-year-old New Zealander who won 4 times on the LPGA Tour in 2016, including 1 major title, said, “I’m so excited to be back in Thailand this year for the first time since 2014 as I had to compete in the national tournament in my home country for the past 2 years at the same time, and now this tournament has been moved to September, I will have more chances to play in Thailand from now on. Thailand is one of our favorite countries to visit and play from the player’s perspective and I have to say it has the best food, tourism and the culture compared to the other countries.”
The Rio 2016 Olympic silver-medalist also mentioned her form after having changed many parts of her game in recent times. “I almost changed everything over the past few years which gives me great excitement and almost makes me feel like I’m back to my rookie year. I do have a strong belief with my new clubs, a new team and a new swing that I’m still learning to adapt, so the main thing is to believe in yourself and have fun on the course. It’s so great to see so many good young players competing at the elite level. I’m not too worried about my ranking but I do need to improve certain points to maintain my position in the upper echelons of the rankings.
Meanwhile Pornanong Phatlum, one of the local star players, is in her best form going into her 8th time at the Honda LPGA Thailand. “I started my season on the LPGA Tour by finishing in the top-5 in the Bahamas which has lifted my confidence,” she said. “Now I am preparing myself for the tournament and would like to win the title for Thai fans, but will not put too much pressure on myself. I would like to see any Thai player win this tournament because it is the only LPGA event in Thailand.”
The 27-year-old world No. 44 finished in a tied-second position in Taiwan to start her year and is in the top-5 on the LPGA Tour due to her performance in the Bahamas. Her best performance in the Honda LPGA Thailand was a twelfth place finish last year.
Golf fans can gain admission to the remaining days of the tournament, being played at Pattaya’s Siam Country Club Old Course from Feb. 23-26, by payment at the gate. Prices are as follows: Friday, 24 February: 300 THB/day; Saturday, 25 February: 400 THB; Sunday, 26 February: 500 THB; Four-Day Package: 800 THB (Free entry for children below 18 years old and senior citizens over 60 years old). The gates open at 08.30hrs on 24 February and at 08.00hrs on 25–26 February.
