Tag: Atthaya Thikitul

LPGA: Andrea Lee leads BMW by two in South Korea; World No. 1’s shocking struggles continue

“I’m just playing really carefree golf, and I’m really relaxed out there. Just having fun.”

Andrea Lee’s first time playing golf in South Korea couldn’t go better if she scripted it. Lee remains bogey-free after 36 holes at the BMW Ladies Championship where she leads by two at 12 under over longtime friend Lilia Vu, hotshot rookie Atthaya Thitikul and 16-year-old amateur Minsol Kim.

Lee, who birdied three of her last four holes, has missed only two greens and two fairways in her matching rounds of 66. The former Stanford star said she’s used to the hilly terrain of Oak Valley Country Club having grown up at Palos Verdes Golf Club in California.

“I think it just gave me so much confidence after that win in Portland,” she said, “and I’m just playing really carefree golf, and I’m really relaxed out there. Just having fun. I don’t feel the pressure anymore to get that first win. I feel comfortable being atop the leaderboards now, and you know, hopefully I can just keep it rolling.”

Lee, 24, saw her 91-year-old grandfather for the first time in three years this week and looks forward to having him come out this weekend.

“The Koreans, they love golf,” she said. “They are so passionate, emotional about it. So it’s great to feed off of their energy. They are definitely rooting for all the Korean players out here. I’m Korean-American, so I feel like they are rooting for me, too, and it’s nice to have that.”

Lilia Vu of the USA watches her shot after teeing off during the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship golf tournament at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju on October 21, 2022. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

Vu bounced back after her first bogey of the tournament on the 14th with an eagle on the par-5 15th. A prolific winner at UCLA, Vu finished third in Portland the week that Lee won and has six top-10 finishes this season. This is also her first time competing in South Korea, and she spent Friday alongside Lee and 2020 U.S. Women’s Open champion A Lim Kim.

“I mean, definitely a little bit of like an adjustment for me to get used to because (when) she would hit it pretty close, everyone would start yelling,” said Vu of the crowd’s reaction to Kim. “I hit a couple shots to three feet today. Maybe a half-clap from my parents. Yeah, so it’s kind of different, but it’s fun. They are very spirited here.”

There are a number of scenarios in which Thitikul will rise to No. 1 in the world this week. A victory would get her there. She can also finish as low as fourth and still climb to No. 1 if Jin Young Ko finishes solo 29th or worse and Minjee Lee does not win.

World No. 1 Ko opened with an 80 that included a 10 on the 18th hole. Friday wasn’t much better. A double-bogey and eight bogeys led Ko to shoot 79, one day after carding the worst round of her LPGA career. She did card an eagle on the 15th.

Ko hit seven fairways and 10 greens in the second round and is currently last in a field of 78. This marks Ko’s first event back since taking two months off to heal an injured left wrist.

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‘Tears of joy’: Danielle Kang comes up short in playoff not long after returning to LPGA following diagnosis of a tumor on her spine

“I’m just really proud that I’m even here.”

Nearly four months ago, Danielle Kang revealed at the U.S. Women’s Open she had a tumor on her spine. She took time off for testing and returned to action at the CP Women’s Open in late August, telling reporters that she’d rather keep the details of the process and her health within the team.

In only her third start back, Kang found herself in a playoff against hotshot rookie Atthaya Thitikul at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She came up short, with Thitikul making birdie on the second playoff hole to win for a second time this season.

Kang broke down in tears during her interview with Golf Channel.

“I’m just really proud that I’m even here,” she said. “Obviously I wanted to win, but these are like tears of joy.”

Kang, 29, holed out for eagle on the par-5 18th Sunday to take the clubhouse lead at 17 under with a closing 64. Thitikul answered moments later with an birdie on the 17th to pull herself into a tie with Kang. The 19-year-old Thai player couldn’t convert for birdie on the final hole, however, and they headed back to the par-3 15th for a sudden-death playoff.

Both Kang and Thitikul won early on in the 2022 season. Thitikul joins Jennifer Kupcho, Minjee Lee and Brooke Henderson as the only multiple winners on tour this season.

The 29-year-old Kang endured back pain for several months before finding out about the tumor in late April after she withdrew from the Palos Verdes Championship.

Kang said earlier in the week in Arkansas that her return has been more stressful that some might think.

“There are some random shots that just come out that I used to not hit,” she said. “It just really irks me the wrong way. I have to be patient. I threw my club once and there is no reason to throw it. I’m 5-under par. I just never used to do that.”

Ball-striking is something the two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion has always taken pride in, but Kang said she returned to action with less swing speed, noting that ball doesn’t stop as quickly as it used to.

She hoped to have some extra patience with herself on Sunday, telling her caddie that her goal was to finish at 17 under.

“Honestly, it’s been hell,” Kang said when it was over.

When asked where Sunday’s finish takes her for the rest of the season, Kang said it’s still going to be a process.

“It’s a struggle almost,” she said, “sometimes in the morning, but I came out here to do something that I love, and I’m just so happy for my team that somehow got me back playing this year.

“I mean, there was part of me that I didn’t think I would ever play again or contend, but here I am. I’m not that far off, and I’m happy about that.”

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