At last Ariya can lay to rest the heartbreak

At last Ariya can lay to rest the heartbreak

Three years ago I witnessed one of the most painful scenes I have ever experienced in a golf tournament.

Thailand's Ariya Jutanagarn, then aged 17 and playing in her first LPGA tournament as a professional, had looked to be poised for a fairytale victory on her home soil in front of thousands of adoring fans at the Siam Country Club and millions more on television.

Given the massive expectations of the crowd at the LPGA Honda Open, Ariya had been under unbearable pressure the whole round, but she was hanging in there. It finally got to her on the very last hole.

She held a two-shot lead at the 18th tee on the final day. All she needed was a par. Alas this was to be no fairy tale as Ariya suffered a last-hole, triple-bogey meltdown, gifting the title to Korea's Park In-Bee.

A visibly distressed Ariya walked across the 18th green in front of the stunned spectators to be comforted by her elder sister, Moriya. The two hugged tearfully in unbearably emotional scenes. It was a heartbreaking moment and it is safe to say there was not a dry eye on the course.

There were plenty of tears in Alabama on Sunday too, but these were thankfully of another kind… of joy and relief. Ariya, now 20, had just become the first Thai player to win an LPGA tournament, edging out stars Stacey Lewis, Morgan Pressel and Amy Yang by one stroke to take the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic.

As she stood over a five-foot putt which would give her that precious victory, it must have looked like 50 feet to Ariya, who admitted later that she was "shaking all over". Her mum, sister Moriya and the other Thai professionals were all sitting nervously on the edge of the green willing her on. They could see she was nervous.

As the ball dropped into the hole mum reacted in the only way she could… she burst into tears, as did most of Ariya's supporters. It must have been a huge relief too for Moriya who this time could offer words of congratulation rather than consolation.

It is impossible to measure Ariya's relief after sinking the winning putt, but amidst all the celebrating her first verbal response was a touching "thank you to my mum for being with me all the time to support me." A perfect present on America's Mother's Day.

It is a terrific achievement considering the setbacks Ariya had to overcome in the last couple of years.

Not long after her disappointment in Thailand, Ariya suffered a serious shoulder injury which put her out of action for almost a year. There was genuine concern that the naturally gifted player would not be able to reproduce her top form once she returned to the fray.

And it took her a little while to get back into the rhythm. There were flashes of brilliance, but last year she missed 10 consecutive cuts on the LPGA Tour and was getting really concerned about her future. But her potential was obvious and this season Ariya once again began to blossom.

There was still more heartbreak to come, however. Only last month in an LPGA major, the ANA Championship, Ariya held a two-stroke lead with three holes left, but suffered three straight bogeys as she lost concentration and was overhauled by world No.1 Lydia Ko.

Ariya was acquiring an unwanted reputation as a talented golfer who could not finish things off. But there was no collapse in Alabama, although there was still plenty of nail-biting drama. Sunday's victory should give Ariya huge confidence in her ability to win tournaments. It is a monkey off her back.

Ariya's success, which has moved her up to 21st in the world rankings and sixth best in earnings this year, is a reflection on just how well Thailand's ladies have been performing in international golf in recent years. Virada Nirapatpongporn, who won the US Women's Amateur title in 2003, had paved the way with impressive performances and by the time she retired in 2011, there was a whole new wave of talented Thai female golfers.

Virada herself is concentrating on coaching the new Thai talent and told the New York Times recently she is "pleasantly surprised" at the progress of the Thai youngsters.

Leading the way in the past decade has been Pornanong Phatlum (26), who actually won an unofficial LPGA tournament in Brazil in 2012.

Pornanong has been very consistent on the LPGA tour, finishing 20th in the rankings in 2014, and is currently a respectable 33rd. She has also enjoyed considerable success on the Ladies European Tour (LET), winning two tournaments.

Her biggest victory was at the Dubai Ladies Masters in 2013, beating the formidable Lewis in what was virtually a matchplay situation on the back nine. Pornanong also won the Hero Women's Indian Open in 2012 and numerous events in Asia.

Many believed Pornanong would be the first Thai to win an LPGA title and she has come very close. She was runner-up in the 2014 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia event after leading much of the final round and took joint second place in last year's Cambia Portland Classic.

Ariya's sister Moriya (21) is also a regular on the LPGA Tour and in 2013 was Rookie of the Year. She is currently ranked 96th and provides invaluable moral support for her sister. Nontaya Srisawang and Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras are also in the top 200.

Everyone should get behind these Thai golfers who are proving to be such excellent ambassadors for their kingdom.

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