Tag: 2024 Honda LPGA Thailand

Albane Valenzuela needed just 19 putts in final-round 63 at Honda LPGA Thailand

Valenzuela called putting her “nemesis” in recent months.

Albane Valenzuela called putting her “nemesis” in recent months. Well, that changed in a mighty way in Thailand, where she needed only 19 putts in a career-low 9-under 63 on Sunday. The Swiss player’s solo second to Patty Tavatanakit at Honda LPGA Thailand marked her career-best finish on tour.

Last month at the LPGA Drive On in Bradenton, Florida, the 26-year-old Valenzuela had 10 three-putts, calling her speed “totally off.”

On Sunday at Siam Country Club, Valenzuela went on a dizzying streak with the putter after holing out for eagle on the par-4 fifth.

“From No. 7 onwards I only had one-putts,” said Valenzuela. “For all the people that told me I could not putt, there you go.”

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Amy Yang was the last player to record 19 putts in a round on the first day of the 2022 Amundi Evian Championship. Only one player has registered 18 putts in a round since 1980, and that was Minea Blomqvist at the 2008 Fields Open in Hawaii at Ko Olina Golf Club. Valenzuela is the seventh player to record 19 putts since 1980.

The late Joan Joyce holds the LPGA record for fewest putts in a round, needing only 17 at the 1982 Lady Michelob.

Albane Valenzuela celebrates after making a putt during the final round of the 2024 Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club in Thailand. (Photo: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)

Valenzuela, a former Stanford player and two-time Olympian, said the week in Thailand was huge for her confidence, proving to herself that she has that competitive fire in her heart.

“I think I’ve never enjoyed playing a Sunday as much as I did today,” she said, “just because of how calm I was. I told my dad, I finally got out of my way and I really understood a lot about myself today.”

Her solo second earned her $158,182 in prize money.

2024 Honda LPGA Thailand prize money payouts for each LPGA player

It pays to play well on the LPGA. Just ask this week’s winner, Patty Tavatanakit.

Patty Tavanakit snapped a victory drought on the LPGA that spanned more than 1,000 days on her home soil, winning by one stroke at the Honda LPGA Thailand. The victory gave her $255,000 of the $1.7 million purse. Bangkok’s Tavatanakit has earned $262,656 this season and $2,667,983 over the course of her LPGA career.

Albane Valenzuela earned solo second money after riding a 19-putt performance in the final round to a 63.

Everyone in the field gets paid in the LPGA’s no-cut Asian events. Yuting Shi finished last and earned $3,551. Players also had their hotel and flights to Thailand covered.

There were 11 Thai players in the field and five finished in the top 18.

Here’s the total purse breakdown for the first event of three events in Asia.

Honda LPGA Thailand prize money payouts

Position Player Score Earnings
1  Patty Tavatanakit -21 $255,000
2  Albane Valenzuela -20 $158,182
T3  Sei Young Kim -18 $101,759
T3  Hye-Jin Choi -18 $101,759
T5  Natthakritta Vongtaveelap -17 $64,953
T5  Hyo Joo Kim -17 $64,953
T7  Lilia Vu -16 $45,900
T7  Emily Kristine Pedersen -16 $45,900
T9  Hae Ran Ryu -15 $34,100
T9  Jaravee Boonchant -15 $34,100
T9  Brooke Henderson -15 $34,100
T9  Madelene Sagstrom -15 $34,100
T13  Chisato Iwai -14 $26,731
T13  Xiyu Lin -14 $26,731
T13  Ariya Jutanugarn -14 $26,731
T16  Erika Hara -13 $23,123
T16  Yuka Saso -13 $23,123
T18  Jenny Shin -12 $21,478
T18  Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (a) -12 —
T20  Mi Hyang Lee -11 $19,919
T20  Jin Young Ko -11 $19,919
T20  Danielle Kang -11 $19,919
T23  Narin An -10 $16,888
T23  Amy Yang -10 $16,888
T23  Peiyun Chien -10 $16,888
T23  Lauren Coughlin -10 $16,888
T23  Georgia Hall -10 $16,888
T23  Ayaka Furue -10 $16,888
T29  Bianca Pagdanganan -9 $14,419
T29  Nanna Koerstz Madsen -9 $14,419
T31  Sarah Kemp -8 $11,388
T31  Aditi Ashok -8 $11,388
T31  Linnea Strom -8 $11,388
T31  Jodi Ewart Shadoff -8 $11,388
T31  Sarah Schmelzel -8 $11,388
T31  Elizabeth Szokol -8 $11,388
T31  Chanettee Wannasaen -8 $11,388
T31  Maja Stark -8 $11,388
T31  Leona Maguire -8 $11,388
T31  Grace Kim -8 $11,388
T41  Stephanie Kyriacou -7 $8,155
T41  Allisen Corpuz -7 $8,155
T41  A Lim Kim -7 $8,155
T41  Moriya Jutanugarn -7 $8,155
T41  Nasa Hataoka -7 $8,155
T41  Alexa Pano -7 $8,155
T41  Eila Galitsky (a) -7 —
48  Lucy Li -6 $7,101
T49  Pornanong Phatlum -5 $6,339
T49  Eun-Hee Ji -5 $6,339
T49  Perrine Delacour -5 $6,339
T49  Esther Henseleit -5 $6,339
T49  Celine Boutier -5 $6,339
T54  Yuna Nishimura -4 $5,456
T54  Yu Liu -4 $5,456
T54  Charley Hull -4 $5,456
T54  Hannah Green -4 $5,456
T58  Gemma Dryburgh -3 $4,936
T58  Ruoning Yin -3 $4,936
T60  Akie Iwai -2 $4,382
T60  Anna Nordqvist -2 $4,382
T60  Jennifer Kupcho -2 $4,382
T60  Pajaree Anannarukarn -2 $4,382
T60  Gaby Lopez -2 $4,382
T65  Jasmine Suwannapura -1 $3,984
T65  Linn Grant -1 $3,984
T65  Andrea Lee -1 $3,984
68  Azahara Munoz -1 $3,811
69  Hinako Shibuno 1 $3,724
70  Celine Borge 6 $3,637
71  Yuting Shi 7 $3,551
WD Cheyenne Knight N/A $3,465

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5 things to know about Patty Tavatanakit’s dream win at 2024 Honda LPGA Thailand

Here’s what you missed from a busy final round in Thailand.

Life came full circle for Patty Tavatanakit on Sunday at Siam Country Club. She was 6 years old the first time an LPGA event was held in Thailand. After coming to the Honda LPGA Thailand event as a spectator, she played on a sponsor invitation as an amateur and then, at age 24, became the second Thai player to win the event in dramatic fashion.

Tavatanakit closed with a 5-under 67 over the Old Course to finish at 21-under 267, one shot ahead of Swiss player Albane Valenzuela. A swarm of friends, including World No. 1 Lilia Vu, showered her with water on the 18th green as she broke down in a flood of emotions.

“It’s a dream come true to win here,” said Tavatanakit, who won $255,000 for her efforts. “I was outside the ropes at one point in my life and now I’m inside, get to play with all these amazing girls. They’re the best in the world. To be able to close it is pretty surreal right now.”

Here are five things to know about a special Sunday in Thailand:

Patty Tavatanakit closing in on second win in as many weeks at Honda LPGA Thailand

For the first time since 2021, Tavatanakit has carded three straight rounds in the 60s

For the second time in as many weeks, Patty Tavatanakit has a three-shot lead heading into the final round. Déjà vu?

Playing in her home country, the 24-year-old shot 6-under 66 on Saturday at Siam Country Club Old Course in Chonburi, Thailand, to move three clear of the field with 18 holes to play. Last week, she did the same at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour en route to her first victory in more than three years.

This week, for the first time since 2021, Tavatanakit has carded three straight rounds in the 60s and sits at 16 under, three shots clear of Madelene Sagstrom.

“I’m really proud of my performance today,” Tavatanakit said. “It’s getting very tiring, exhausting in the heat. I’m just going to conserve my energy and take on the challenge tomorrow.”

Tavatanakit had about as strong a start as she could’ve hoped, carding four birdies and an eagle in the first seven holes. She bogeyed the par-4 11th but bounced back with a birdie on the 15th and cruised to the clubhouse for a 66.

“There is a lot of obligations so far this week,” Tavatanakit said. “I feel like I didn’t really have time to prepare, but I came into this week with an open mindset of like learning this position that I’m in coming into a home event, being last week’s champion. There is a lot of pressure, but I can look at it as an encouragement for me to feel happy to play in front of my fans.”

Sagstrom, a 36-hole co-leader, was even on her first nine holes but went 3 under on the back nine, including a closing eagle to pull her within three of Tavatanakit.

“Patty is playing beautifully,” Sagstrom said. “She it hitting the ball lovely, and she is putting even better. She left a few putts short today and she could have gone really low today. I think you kind of know that to really have a chance for tomorrow, you have to play good golf. You don’t really do that by comparing yourself to somebody else or trying to react on their games. All I need to do is get my own zone and out of my own way.”

Hye-Jin Choi, Emily Kristine Pederson and Hyo Joo Kim are tied for third at 12 under. There’s a big group at 11 under, including Brooke Henderson, Albane Valenzuela and amateur Suvichaya Vinijchaitham.

World No. 1 Lilia Vu is T-16 at 9 under.

5 takeaways from Honda LPGA Thailand, where a ‘humbled’ Patty Tavatanakit stays hot

Here’s what you need to know from the first round of play on Thursday.

The LPGA returned to action in Thailand after a three-week break and Peiyun Chien lit up Siam Country Club Old Course with a career-tying 8-under 64. The 33-year-old Taiwanese player poured in seven birdies and an eagle to take control.

“I like the course because I just feel the green is similar in Taiwan, so I read better,” said Chien, who needed only 24 putts in the first round of the 2024 Honda LPGA Thailand.

There are 11 Thai players in the field of 72, including last week’s winner on the Ladies European Tour, Patty Tavatanakit. The no-cut event features a purse of $1.7 million, with $255,000 going to the winner.

Here are five takeaways from a steamy start to the Asian swing:

Healthy Jin Young Ko among notable players making 2024 LPGA debut in Thailand

Several stars are teeing it up in Thailand.

Former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko returns to competition at the Honda LPGA Thailand. The last time the South Korean star teed it up on the LPGA at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, she was wearing a brace on her left knee. Ko eventually withdrew from the event prior to the third round.

Ko insists that’s now behind her and said doctors checked her entire body – knees, shoulders, wrists, spine – and reported that she’s healthy for 2024. She flew to Vietnam during the extended offseason to train with her coach and feels confident going into her 10th season as a professional, including time spent on the KLPGA.

Her goal this year: Stay healthy and keep her energy up throughout the season.

“Usually my season is like first five months was really nice and then my energy getting lower,” she said. “I want to be consistent with my energy, performance, everything. … Hard practice and after the practice, let it be, let it go.”

World No. 1 Lilia Vu headlines the Honda Thailand field. Last year Vu broke through with her first LPGA title in Thailand, and then went on to win three more times, including two majors.

While her first two events of 2024 were lackluster at best, Vu went home to California during the three-week break to work on her ball striking.

“I think that was a bit of a wakeup call for me,” said Vu of the shaky start, “but definitely needed to happen.”

Lydia Ko, who won the season-opening event and lost in a playoff to Nelly Korda the next week, will return to action next week in Singapore at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Korda, meanwhile, is in the midst of a seven-week break and returns at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship next month.

Ko isn’t the only player making her 2024 season debut. Here are several other notable players (with Rolex Ranking) starting their first LPGA start in Thailand: