DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA : Thailand's Patcharajutar Kongkraphan has secured an LPGA card for 2014 after winning the Symetra Tour's money title following the season-ending tournament on Monday.
Thailand’s Patcharajutar Kongkraphan.
Known on the tour as PK, Patcharajutar finished tied for seventh at the Symetra Tour Championship and first on the Road to the LPGA with US$47,283, ahead of Giulia Molinaro who earned $39,848.
With the top-10 money earners getting tickets to the LPGA Tour, the other eight are Marina Alex ($39,804), Christine Song ($39,309), Cydney Clanton ($38,861), Sue Kim ($37,850), Hannah Jun ($36,810), Perrine Delacour ($34,577), Alena Sharp ($34,120) and Jacyln Sweeney ($33,609).
They will be trying to follow in the footsteps of several Symetra Tour graduates who have become stars on the elite circuit including Park In-bee, who won three major titles this year, 27-time LPGA Tour winner Lorena Ochoa and two-time LPGA Tour winner Christina Kim.
In her third season on the Symetra Tour, Patcharajutar had five top-10 finishes, including one win at the Northeast Delta Dental International.
The big-hitting Nakhon Ratchasima native is a popular player on the tour.
"Whenever you see PK Kongkraphan at a Symetra Tour event, you will see the third-year Road to the LPGA member with a smile on her face that could light up a room," said a report on the tour's official website.
"I don't have to be sad, I have very much fun playing golf," said Patcharajutar, who is known as the 'Spice Girl' on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour. "I'm always happy, it just makes life fun."
Golf isn't the only talent the Thai native possesses _ she is also quite a musician and even has her own band in Thailand where she serves as the lead singer, according to the website.
"I like to sing a song and play guitar," she said. "I have a band in Thailand, a music band. I have two girls and three boys play with my band and I sing."
While Patcharajutar's band has yet to release an album, she said that it would be coming soon. She frequently turns to her newly purchased guitar as a way to relax.
After her victory in Concord, Patcharajutar headed to New York where she purchased her second guitar prior to the Credit Union Classic.
Before the tournament, Patcharajutar put on a short concert for the Symetra Tour staff and gave them a first-hand glimpse of her favourite form of relaxation.
"I just have two but my mom didn't want me to buy the guitar," she said. "The first one my mom bought for me for $50, it was very cheap. I called mom before I bought the guitar and asked her if it was okay to buy it and she said if I wanted it, I could buy it."