Swing when you're winning

Behind Ariya Jutanugarn's impressive victory at Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic Tournament earlier this month is the story of how the young athlete managed to overcome her own demons.

Ariya knew she had everything a champion needs, having shown she has the skills and technique to mix it with the best in the world. But something didn't sit right in her guts as she pursued her first LPGA victory since joining the tour in 2014, often coming tantalisingly close.

"I was wondering why I could not pull it off," she recalled of the difficult times.

Recognised as a firebrand for her playing style, the 20 year old had a habit of racing to an early lead only to let the advantage slip in the closing stages. Her nerves failed her at the ANA Inspiration, the first LPGA major competition this year, when the Thai pacesetter bogeyed the final three holes to lose to world No 1 Lydia Ko. She blew her chance to win a trophy yet again.

"I was under immense pressure," she said, referring to the burden of expectations.

But it wasn't the first time she had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory: she was still haunted by the memory of her heartbreaking defeat at the LPGA Honda Open in Thailand three years ago. Then, Ariya was only 17 years old and was on course to win. On the final hole she needed only to hold par, but a train wreck triple bogey let Korean Inbee Park take the tournament.

"I was repeating this inside my head over and over," she said.

The disaster on the 18th had affected her performance ever since. Ariya was known as a good player who could not hold her nerve.

"I knew that I had to overcome it," she said.

Ariya tried many approaches including changing her routine and her perspective on the game. On May 8, the final day of the LPGA Classic in Alabama, Ariya's self-doubt kicked in again at the crucial moment.

However, this time she could beat her mind at its own game.

"I can get past that now and I feel good about myself," she told Brunch when she was back in Bangkok briefly to celebrate her first title.

FAMILY LINKS

Ariya turned pro in 2013 but had to wait a year to enter the LPGA tour because she was underage. It took her three years to become the first Thai winner in the LPGA. Before her success, a number of Thai female golfing stars such as Verada Nirapathpongporn, Pornanong Phatlum and the Korean-Thai twins Aree and Naree Wongluetkiat Song showed potential. None have yet reached the pinnacle of the LPGA.

Ariya has been playing golf since she was a child with her elder sister Moriya, who is also a regular on LPGA tour. The sisters are very close. During the interview, Ariya referred to her sister and her mother, Narumon, several times as her moral supporters.

"I was inspired by my mother. She always believes in me. I want to make my mother and my sister happy and proud."

To accommodate the schedule of the professional golf tournaments, the two sisters are now living in the US with their mother. Narumon and Moriya were watching the final round from the edge of the green on that Sunday.

The TV broadcast showed her mother and her sister broke into tears when Ariya putted the ball into the final hole on May 8, which was Mother's Day in the US. "This victory is for my mother," Ariya said after winning the game.

Asked if she spends free time with any golfer outside the green, Ariya said, "No, because I have my sister. We always tour together."

Besides, she added, "I don't have much free time. In a month, we spend three weeks touring, and rest for only a week."

With her fearless style, Ariya qualified for the 2007 Honda LPGA Thailand at age 11, making her the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA Tour event. Since then, Ariya seemed destined to progress to the top, turning pro at a young age.

In 2013, she almost won the first LPGA trophy on her home turf before blowing the change on the final hole.

Ariya recouped from the loss a few months later to claim her first professional tournament at the LET's Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.

Later in the same year, Ariya had an accident while playing a practice round with her sister at the 2013 Wegman's LPGA Championship. The injury to her right shoulder required corrective surgery, and took her out of the sport for eight months.

"My confidence was shattered. I feared that I would not be able to play at the same level again," she said.

She came back to the game in 2015, which looked like a winning year for Ariya. She almost won her first LPGA event at the Pure Silk-Bahamas Classic but she lost to Kim Sei-young during the playoff. Kim also took home the 2015 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award at season's end.

After that, Ariya's losing streak stretched to 10 consecutive tournaments where she failed to make the cut. Ariya attributed her performances to a lack of mental strength. "I tended to get excited and afraid when I was under pressure. The stress affects my body."

Then Ariya thought, "I had to change my routine and my game plan." She hired two mental coaches named Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, who simply told her to enjoy the game.

"Human beings tend to have selective memory and we tend to remember the bad shots. This has to change. I have to remember the good ones and commend myself," she said.

"I found ways to overcome it after I had tried many ways to improve my mental strength.

"Before hitting the ball, I have to take a deep breath and tell myself that, 'I love this shot.' "

Ariya was determined to step onto the field with a more positive attitude.

When it didn't work at the ANA Inspiration, people began to doubt Ariya's ability to seal the deal -- she was seen as a good player who didn't have the willpower to win. That all changed in Alabama.

OUT OF THE ROUGH

The triumph did not come easily as her demons came back to haunt her again during the final day.

Ariya bogeyed after 12 holes. She was choosing to play it safe late in the game to preserve her lead until her American caddie Leslie Luark gave her a wake-up call.

"My caddie never gave up on me, even when I was at the lowest point of my career. I previously told him that he should leave me for a better golfer who can make more money. But he said he wanted to stay with me because he believed in me.

"I started the day by playing it safe. But after the 12th hole, my caddie told me that this is not my game. Normally, I am an aggressive player. But I was hitting the ball like I did not sleep last night."

Luark told Ariya that he did not care whether she won or lost. "He told me to fight." Ariya changed her game plan and her instincts took over, hitting a birdie in the 13th hole.

On the 18th, Ariya looked at the scoreboard and thought that she needed to take a risk because she did not want to be forced into a playoff.

Lining up to putt, her self-doubt returned. "My hands were shaking and my legs were shaking. The putter was shaking."

But then she thought, "Maybe I cannot force the ball into the hole but I can control the club.

"I told myself, 'just do it', even though I was excited and never did it."

She controlled her nerves, and the ball dropped.

GREENER PASTURES

Despite her young age, Ariya's roller-coaster ride of her remarkable career has made her a stronger golfer.

"I think anything can happen, so let's do it. [I never thought that] one day I would have to undergo an operation because of running in a field. But things can happen anytime."

Ariya's next major goal is to win a medal at the Olympics. "This is even more important because I will be representing the nation. I want to make Thai people happy."

Now ranked No 21 in the world, Ariya said she wanted to return to the top 15.

She has returned to the US for the next immediate challenge, the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia.

"I played this tournament last year. It was the first of my 10 consecutive failures to make the cut," she quipped.

And if her old demon revisits her, Ariya could not care less. "I have more confidence in myself," she said.