Thai teenager Atthaya Thitikul will make her debut in Europe as a professional when she tees off at the Jabra Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour (LET) on Thursday.
The 54-hole event, the third tournament in the 2021 LET season, is being held at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France and the winner will earn a ticket to next month's Evian Championship, one of the five majors, at the same venue.
"I am 100 percent fit and ready for the tournament. It is my first tournament abroad in over a year so I am really looking forward to it," said Atthaya, who was runner-up at the Honda LPGA Thailand last month.
The 18-year-old turned pro last year but could only play in one LET event in Australia, where she was tied for fourth, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She then shifted her focus to the domestic tours and won six times in 13 events. Although she is seen as one of the pre-tournament favourites this week, Atthaya said she just wanted to enjoy the game and gain more experience.
The Evian Golf Club is not new to Atthaya who played there in the Evian Championship in 2017.
"I played here four years ago. The course is still in good conditions and its fairways are quite narrow," said Atthaya, who won twice on the LET on home soil when she was an amateur.
"I have to be more careful about my tee shots. If my iron play works well, I can hope for a low score."
Meanwhile, France's Lucie Malchirand is in fine form.
The 18-year-old will play in only her third LET event and has a stellar record behind her with a joint 26th finish at last year's Lacoste Ladies Open de France and her one-shot victory in Italy last week.