Tag: Patty Tavatanakit

Heat, course, wind don’t slow down Patty Tavatanakit at ANA Inspiration

Patty Tavatanakit defied the course conditions, strengthening winds in the afternoon and temperatures in the mid-90s, at the ANA Inspiration.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Officials at Mission Hills Country Club thought the Dinah Shore Tournament Course might play so tough for the ANA Inspiration this week that a winning score in single digits under par for 72 holes would be a reasonable expectation.

Patty Tavatanakit needed just 31 holes to surpass that mark.

Tavatanakit, the 21-year-old Thai golfer who played her college golf at UCLA, defied the course conditions, strengthening winds in the afternoon and temperatures in the mid-90s that caused her to feel tired in the middle of the round to maintain the lead in the LPGA’s first major championship of the year Friday.

She shot a 3-under 69 while other golfers were fighting to stay at or near even par on the day, putting Tavatanakit at 9-under 135, one shot ahead of Sanshan Feng.

ANA Inspiration: Leaderboard | Photos

The key, Tavatanakit said, was to not think about the magnitude of the event.

“I didn’t want to take it like, oh, I’m leading a major championship,” she said. “I just want to look at it like it’s another round, it’s another tournament. Even though it is a big tournament, I don’t want to put emphasis on it like it’s a major.”

Feng, playing in the afternoon, also shot 69 despite three bogeys in her round. Despite playing on what is considered a long hitter’s paradise, where the LPGA’s biggest hitters take advantage of the par-5s, Moriya Jutanugarn managed a 69 in the morning wave of tee times to get to 7-under, alone in third.

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Jutanugarn, ranked 131st on the LPGA average driving distance stats at a fraction under 240 yards, fired a 3-under 69 on Friday to move to 7-under for the tournament. She took sole possession of the lead at the first major championship of the year as the morning wave of tee times finished their round. Jutanugarn had four birdies in the round, but just one on a par-5, that being the second hole on the Shore Course.

“It’s just about patient out there,” Jutanugarn said. “I mean, I’m not a long hitter so I just have to take what I can and just trying to play smart and put myself into, you know, like places I can have a good chance.”

Patty Tavatanakit, a 21-year-old from Thailand, shows quick learning curve to grab ANA Inspiration lead

Patty Tavatanakit may still be learning about what it takes to win on the LPGA, but the 21-year-old seems like a fast learner.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Patty Tavatanakit may still be learning about what it takes to win on the LPGA, but the 21-year-old from Thailand seems like a fast learner.

Saying this season feels like an extension of her rookie year, Tavatanakit fired a stellar 6-under 66 on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the ANA Inspiration, the first major championship on the LPGA this season.

The round continued what has been a hot start to 2021 for Tavatanakit, who was a rookie in the truncated 2020 season. The former UCLA Bruin will enter the second round with a one-shot lead over Shanshan Feng, who didn’t play on the LPGA in 2020, and Leona Maguire, who finished her round hours after Tavatanakit and Feng completed their rounds.

Anna Nordqvist and Ariya Jutanugarn each fired first-round 68s on a day that saw little wind and some cloud cover. Among a group at 69 are the last two winners of the ANA Inspiration, Mirim Lee and Jin Young Ko.

ANA Inspiration: Leaderboard | Photos

Also on the leader board at 70, tied with names such as Lexi Thompson, is Michelle Wie West. Wie West last played in the major championship in 2019 and has been married and had a baby since then. Thursday was her third round on the LPGA this year after missing the cut at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad last week. It has been 18 years since Wie West debuted in the event as a 13-year-old.

“You know, looking back, I was a kid,” said Wie West, now 31, of her debut in the event. “I still feel like a kid. Having a baby definitely puts a different perspective on everything. I’m more excited to go home and see her than I was about my round, to be honest.”

Tavatanakit struggled at times in her rookie season, missing cuts in seven of 14 starts with just one top-10 finish. But already in 2021 she has a tie for fifth in the Gainbridge LPGA and a tie for 14th at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Florida. She comes to the ANA Inspiration, her fourth start in the event, off a missed cut at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad last week.

“It takes a lot out here to play well week after week, day after day. It’s a really tough job, tough sport,” Tavatanakit said. “Not every day is gonna go your way.

“Today, even though it’s a 6-under, it was not a perfect golf,” she added. “It was, I mean, a lot out there, but I would take that any day. Golf is not a perfect sport.”

Closing in on a win

With another appearance on the leader board in 2021, Tavatanakit said she certainly feels like she is learning each week.

“I feel like just growth into being in contention and just keep learning, keep being in it,” she said. “Eventually like I’ll be able to finish it out. It doesn’t have to be this week. I have a long career ahead of me, and I’m just going to keep playing the way I’m playing.”

Part of Tavatanakit’s success Thursday was taking the advantage of the par-5s on the Shore Course, hitting all four in two shots including the island green on the 18th hole that set up a closing birdie. Handling the par-5s shows the progress in Tavatanakit’s already impressive game.

“It helped playing the course at a really young age (as an amateur), seeing it differently. I feel like I’m hitting it the furthest I’m hitting,” she said. “I could never reach the green on 9 for the three times I played here, and I was able to do it today. I was telling my caddie, man, I’ve got a little bit of a different game here. I’m hitting it a little further, and if anything a little straighter.”

Feng’s bogey-free 67 was made more remarkable because the Chinese star didn’t play in 2020

“Last year was a difficult year for everybody, and I just made a decision at the middle of the year to go back to China and maybe take some time off with my friends and family at home,” Feng said. “And I really enjoyed the whole time over there, but of course I missed playing. So I started to practice like maybe a few months ago. Tried to come back little earlier but I couldn’t because of the visa.”

Feng’s round included five birdies and no bogeys, showing she hasn’t lost much from her game after a year on the sidelines.

“I’m saying that I’m an old rookie, but it’s not like I’ve never been in tournaments before,” Feng said. “So I know what it takes to play well in the tournament, and I really did work on like, to get my distance back because I did lose some distance.”

Maguire birdied two of her final four holes to crawl into the chase at 5-under, while other golfers had chances on the par-5 18th to make a move but made just pars or even bogeys on the demanding hole.

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Rookie Patty Tavatankit looks to claim first LPGA title with a PGA Tour winner on the bag

LPGA rookie Patty Tavatankit has a PGA Tour winner on the bag this week at the Gainbridge LPGA as she looks for her first tour win.

ORLANDO, Florida – Patty Tavatanakit’s biggest weapon on Sunday at the Gainbridge LPGA might be the man carrying her bag. Former PGA Tour player Grant Waite works as Tavatanakit’s coach and took her up on caddying for the first two weeks of her season so that he could get a close-up look at how she works inside the ropes.

Tavatanakit, 21, said she feels secure having Waite beside her and it shows. She’s currently one stroke shy of Nelly Korda after a third-round 66 that included four birdies on her last five holes.

“I feel like these two weeks I’m just going to learn a lot just how to be really comfortable,” said Tavatanakit, “and be independent on like decision-making and club selection.”

In July 2019, a 19-year-old Tavatanakit had the golf world on a 59 watch in only her fourth start as a professional. She became the third player in LPGA history to card three eagles in nine holes, making the turn in 29 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. The rising Thai star was 13 under through 10 holes and ultimately finished with a course-record 11-under 61.

Gainbridge LPGA: Leaderboard

Golf Channel broke into its re-airing of the Irish Open to show Tavatanakit’s finish.

Tavatanakit recently moved from Los Angeles to Orlando and now practices out of Isleworth, Lake Nona’s sister club. She connected with Waite, who is also a member at Isleworth, because her boyfriend Andy Zhang frequently practices with Waite’s son, Osten. When the four touring pros would play together, Tavatanakit often peppered Grant with questions.

After competing on the PGA Tour for 13 years Waite, the 1993 Kemper Open champion, switched gears to teaching. His roster of Tour clients included Charles Howell, Aaron Baddeley, Trevor Immelman and Mike Weir.

The Kiwi then stopped coaching to join the PGA Tour Champions, that is until two surgeries to repair a torn rotator cuff sent him back to the teaching ranks. In addition to Tavatanakit, Waite also works with Jennifer Song and Korn Ferry Tour player Curtis Luck. He’s healthy now and hoping to get back out to the senior circuit in 2021.

“One of the big things we’ve been working on is understanding how to play a round of golf in terms of when to be aggressive, when not to,” said Waite.

To be an effective coach, Waite said, it’s important to be able to understand a player beyond the golf swing, which is why these two weeks should prove to be invaluable.

Patty Tavatanakit during round three of the 2021 Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Tavatankit, a former UCLA standout, is grateful to have this second chance at a rookie season.

“Last year was really hard for me just COVID and traveling alone, not having my parents here,” said Tavatanakit, “which was my decision to kind of want to like grow out of that relationship. It was a hard one to take for me, but I stuck to it, and it’s another rookie you’re for me. I’m grateful for that.

“I learned a lot last year and it really did help me to become like stronger mentally and just know that it’ll be OK.”

It can get loud playing with Tavatanakit. She’s a loud breather by design, exhaling deeply before every shot to keep her heart rate under control. She has been known to be tough on herself.

“I feel like if I hold it in it’ll be suffocating,” said Tavatanakit. “I just need to let it out there.”

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What I’m Working On: Patty Tavatanakit

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols talks with LPGA golfer Patty Tavatanakit on what she is working on as she plays in this week’s LPGA event at Boca Rio Golf Club.

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols talks with LPGA golfer Patty Tavatanakit on what she is working on as she plays in this week’s LPGA event at Boca Rio Golf Club.

Rookies rule in soggy first round at Gainbridge LPGA

The rookies have arrived on the LPGA, and they’re not scared. At least they don’t play like it anyway.

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BOCA RATON, Fla. – The rookies have arrived on the LPGA, and they’re not scared. At least they don’t play like it anyway.

At Day 1 of the inaugural Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, a pair of rookies hold the clubhouse lead. Play was suspended at 4:50 p.m. ET due to heavy rain. Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit and Japan’s Yui Kawamoto both carded 4-under 68s in their rookie debuts. Georgia grad Jillian Hollis added a 70.

Sei Young Kim, who has 10 LPGA titles to her credit, also carded a 68. Jessica Korda is 5 under on the day and was on her last hole, No. 9, when play stopped.

Tavatanakit, 20, dominated the Symetra Tour after turning pro following the spring season at UCLA. She also carded an 11-under 61 last summer at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, where she tied for 15th. Her winning on the LPGA is a matter of when, not if. The three-month break actually proved kind of stressful for Tavatanakit, who filled up her time reading mental books.

Gainbridge LPGA: Leaderboard | Photos

“Like everyone takes it pretty seriously out here,” she said. “I was kind of intimidated by the idea of the LPGA tour and just being out here, kind of scares me. It’s a big thing. This is my job, and like I have to do this for a living and what if I don’t like it? It’s just a lot of doubts and thoughts in my head. After I just kind of cut that out and focused on what I have to do, and it’s been working pretty well.”

Kawamoto briefly went to the same high school as Nasa Hataoka back home in Japan. Both are 21 years old. Kawamoto tied for ninth at LPGA Q-Series to earn her card and has been as high as No. 50 in the Rolex Rankings. She has two career JLPGA titles and recorded 10 additional top 10s last season.
“I have huge respect for (Nasa) and very happy to be able to compete with her,” said Kawamoto through an interpreter, “but I feel like I still have a gap between her.”

Kawamoto’s first name means “tie” in Japan, and she’s been wearing ribbons in her hair since middle school. The combination helped land her a sponsor, Kosé, for her hair ribbon. Kosé is a beauty product brand in Japan.

The 2020 Olympics in Japan is the ultimate goal for Kawamoto. She’s currently No. 60 in the world. The top 15 players automatically qualify, with a maximum of four players from one country. Hataoka, No. 5, leads the way for Japan. Hinako Shibuno, the 2019 AIG Women’s British Open champion, ranks 11th.

“Obviously that’s a big goal for me,” said Kawamoto, “but it’s going to be a very tough competition.”

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Star-studded freshman class guarantees tight race for top LPGA rookie in 2020

Of the tour’s 19 rookies, several have already made big impressions on the LPGA.

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This year’s Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year contest was such a runaway that winner Jeongeun Lee6 spent months working on her acceptance speech. The 2020 campaign should prove to be much a tighter race.

Of the tour’s 19 rookies, several have already made big impressions on the LPGA. Some are among the most decorated players to come out of collegiate golf in recent years, including Duke’s Leona Maguire and Andrea Lee of Stanford, who won a program record nine times for the Cardinal.

Of course, Lee’s priority ranking (161st) makes it difficult to know how many starts she’ll get at the start of the year. A strong early showing would put in her good position for the spring reshuffle, the route Cheyenne Knight took in 2019. Knight made the most of the opportunity, winning the last full-field event on the LPGA schedule in Texas.

Esther Henseleit, at No. 162, is in a similar position. The German rookie recently secured the Order of Merit title on the Ladies European Tour after a victory in Kenya.

Here are five standouts with strong status to keep an eye on next season:

Patty Tavatanakit, Thailand

UCLA star turned pro after the spring season and made it look easy on the Symetra Tour, winning three times in her first eight starts. An explosive player who shot 61 in the final round of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.

Yealimi Noh, U.S.

Made a run at two LPGA titles in 2019 after Monday-qualifying for both events. The 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior champ finished second at the Cambia Portland Classic. Made a name for herself quickly as a pro despite having no status on any tour.

Leona Maguire, Ireland

No one spent more time at the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking than Maguire. One of the best players in the history of college golf, the Duke grad finished seventh on the Symetra Tour money list to earn her card for 2020.

Haley Moore, U.S. ­

Graduated from Arizona and LPGA Q-Series before she even turned 21. The ceiling is high for a player who is learning how to keep her emotions in check. No stranger to the big stage, Moore is familiar with pressure.

Albane Valenzuela, Switzerland

Former Olympian and Stanford star is a seasoned player when it comes to professional events, particularly the majors. A two-time runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, skipped her final semester of college to make a run at Tokyo 2020.

The following is the complete list of 2020 LPGA rookies, with their priority ranking in parenthesis:

2019 Symetra Tour graduates

Patty Tavatanakit, Thailand (95)
Jillian Hollis, U.S. (98)
Leona Maguire, Ireland (100)
Esther Lee, U.S. (102)

LPGA Q-Series top 45 and ties

Yealimi Noh, U.S. (128)
Albane Valenzuela, Switzerland (135)
Jennifer Chang, U.S. (138)
Yui Kawamoto, Japan (137)
Haley Moore, U.S. (143)
Jiwon Jeon, South Korea (147)
Maia Schechter, U.S. (150)
Matilda Castren, Finland (154)
Linnea Johansson, Sweden (156)
Andrea Lee, U.S. (161)
Esther Henseleit, Germany (162)
Yujeong Son, South Korea (163)
Nuria Iturrioz, Spain (165)
Bianca Pagdanganan, Philippines (167)
Kyung Kim, U.S. (169)

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