Pornanong leads Thai challenge at Honda LPGA

Pornanong leads Thai challenge at Honda LPGA

Tournament has given local players the opportunity to play against top stars

Since its first edition in 2006, the Honda LPGA Thailand has not only become a flagship event in Asia but also given chances to Thai players to hone their skills against world-class stars.

Pornanong Phatlum

The annual tournament is for the top 60 players on the money list plus 10 invitees as organisers often give a large number of spots to local players.

Five Thai players will take part in this year's tournament which begins Thursday at Siam Country Club, Old Course in Pattaya.

The quintet are LPGA members Pornanong Phatlum, Moriya Jutanugarn and Patcharajutar Kongkraphan, Ladies European Tour star Ariya Jutanugarn and amateur Supamas Sangchan.

Pornanong and Moriya qualify for the tournament thanks to their positions on the 2013 money list while the rest receive invitations. All of them are under 25 years and have all played in the Honda LPGA Thailand before.

Pornanong was 23rd on the money list at the end of last season and Moriya, the tour's rookie of the year, was 47th. It is the first time that two Thai players enter the event due to their own performances.

Last year, Pornanong was the only Thai who earned an automatic berth thanks to her 57th spot on the money list.

Another thing to prove Thai female players' progress is their place at the inaugural International Crown which will take place in July in Maryland. They are among eight countries in the tournament.

Credit should go to the organisers and sponsors of the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Ariya Jutanugarn, right, and Moriya.

"The tournament has not only given local players chances to play against top players but also motivated young people to take up golf," said Palakorn Somsuwan, managing director of TV Channel 7, which organises the event.

"It is a valuable foundation for sustainable growth of golf in the country. Apart from the tournament itself, we have also conducted clinics for young players."

Among those who began their rise at the tournament are sisters Moriya and Ariya who played in the event as amateurs several times, while Patcharajutar, now known on the LPGA Tour as 'PK', first took part in the event as amateur in 2007.

That Supamas will be making her second consecutive appearance at the Honda tournament is proof of the organisers' commitment to golf development here, and the 17-year-old national player has praise for them.

"It is a great venue to hone my skill for myself and my country," said the teenage star, who will defend the individual title at the Queen's Sirikit Cup in April.

Supamas said that she was too nervous last year especially when she was grouped with Paula Creamer and Jessica Korda. However, she has learned a lot from that experience.

"This time, I am better prepared and hope to fare better than last year's 61st place," she said.

Patcharajutar, 22, said she was happy to return to the tournament after her debut in 2007 when she played alongside South Korea's Park In-Bee who has since become the world's top-ranked player.

The Khon Kaen native secured a tour card after winning the money title on the Symetra Tour last year, and will be a player to watch in Pattaya.

World No.30 Pornanong said many Thais, including herself, could win the title.

"I am more experienced and confident this year," said the 24-year-old, who won the 2012 Brazil Cup on the LPGA Tour, a 36-hole unofficial event. "I believe that I have a chance to win on home soil."

Pornanong, who won the Ladies European Tour's season-ending event in Dubai in December, will be playing in her fifth Honda LPGA Thailand.

Pornanong had her best result at the Honda tournament in 2012 when she was 14th, and finished 31st last year.

She was joint third in the season-opening Bahamas Classic last month and is the only one of five Thais to qualify for the weekend rounds at the on-going Women's Australian Open _ the tour's second tournament of the season.

"My result may be determined by how well I handle the pressure of playing in front of home crowds," the Chaiyaphum native said. "There is often a lot of pressure and expectations."

Last year, Ariya came so close to becoming the first Thai to win the tournament when she suffered a meltdown at the final hole. She squandered a two-shot lead with a triple bogey to hand the title to Park In-Bee, who went on to win three majors last year.
However, the 18-year-old Thai is not expected to be a contender this time because it will be only her second tournament after shoulder surgery in July.

She failed to make the cut at this week's Women's Australian Open, and it is not yet confirmed whether she will be able to make her fourth appearance at the Honda event.

"I have not yet been able to make a full swing like I did before the injury," she said.

Her older sister Moriya, who was tied for 59th last year, looks a better bet. She said she had gained more experience on the tour and believed her time would come soon.

"My target is to win at least one tournament this year," the 19-year-old said.

"It will be great to win here in front of your home fans."

However, all Thais will surely face tough tasks against the world's best players including No.1 and defending champion Park, No.2 Suzann Pettersen, No.3 Stacy Lewis and No.4 Lydia Ko.

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