World No.31 Pornanong Phatlum will spearhead the Thai challenge at the Evian Championship in France which tees off today.
Pornanong Phatlum will make her third appearance in the tournament.
There are four Thais in the fifth major of the year with the other three being Moriya Jutanugarn, Thidapa Suwannapura and Patcharajutar Kongkraphan.
It is Pornanong’s third appearance in the tournament after finishing 40th in 2012 and 52nd last year.
The Chaiyaphum native is in a confident mood after winning the Thailand LPGA Masters last week.
In her fourth year on the LPGA Tour, Pornanong is 26th on the money list with US$423,186 after 18 events this year.
Last year, she played 25 events and finished 23rd with $600,210.
Thidapa was 57th and Moriya missed the cut at the Evian last year.
Thidapa, 21, is ranked 55th on the LPGA Tour money list and is likely to keep the card for next year.
But Patcharajutar and Moriya need good results in the home stretch of the season to retain their playing rights for next year.
They must finish in the top 80 to be eligible to play on the LPGA Tour next year.
Meanwhile, top-ranked amateur Minjee Lee has turned professional after leading Australia to the women’s world amateur team championship at the weekend.
The 18-year-old Lee, who shot a seven-under 65 to lead Australia’s comeback win in Japan, made the announcement in a light-hearted video with Matthew Pavlich, captain of the Fremantle Australian Rules football team.
She will make her first appearance as a professional at the Evian Championship.
Lee, who was born in Perth and is a member of the Royal Fremantle Golf Club, won the US Junior Girls’ Championship in 2012 and back-to-back Australian amateur championships in 2013 and 2014.
She also received the Mark H McCormack Medal as the No.1 women’s amateur this year.
Lee was the low amateur at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April in her first start in a major. bangkok post/ap