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.
The sighting of a white whale near the Phi Phi Islands was the first in the region and possibly in the country.
A white whale was spotted recently off Thailand in what might have been a first for the country.
The appearance of the whale alongside a tourism vessel was brief and the species was not confirmed, although there was speculation that it could have been a Bryde’s whale or Omura’s whale.
The sighting occurred in the Andaman Sea near the Phi Phi Islands.
In the footage, the whale swims swiftly alongside the boat before veering off and surfacing briefly as tourists marveled at the sight.
Yutthapong Damsrisuk, chief of Hat Nopparat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, told The Nation that it was the first known sighting of a white whale in the region and possibly the first off Thailand.
Damsrisuk did not provide the date of the sighting.
The whale was most likely leucistic. Leucism involves the partial loss of pigmentation, causing white or pale coloration.
Boaters in the area were informed of the whale’s presence and asked to exercise caution.
Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner sought classic inspiration when building Ballyshear Golf Links near Bangkok.
SAMUT PRAKAN, Thailand – There’s been a lot of Lido talk in recent years in golf architecture circles. A new Lido opened this summer at Sand Valley in Wisconsin, attempting to recreate in great detail the original Lido course that was built in 1915 on Long Island, New York, with a design by C.B. Macdonald – that course was closed during World War II.
But Sand Valley’s rendition isn’t the only one.
Ballyshear Golf Links at Ban Rakat Club just east of Bangkok opened in 2021, and like its cousin in Wisconsin, this Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner design attempts to recreate many of the holes from the original Lido, sometimes in principle and at other times in detail.
At Ballyshear, Hanse and Wagner put into play many of the template holes established by Macdonald at the original Lido and beyond. The Eden, Channel, Alps, Short and Redan – each of those template holes and more are there to be played in Thailand. Such holes present shot values and demands identified by Macdonald that are now in play around the world, many of them borrowed from classic links courses. These holes are immediately recognizable to golf architecture buffs.
The back nine of Ballyshear Golf Links at Ban Rakat Club near Bangkok, Thailand (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Ballyshear was built on the site of the former Kiarti Thanee Country Club on a flat piece of land less than half an hour’s drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The former course on the property featured tree-lined fairways and was often wet, as land in this area outside Bangkok is often inundated during heavy rains – the property is surrounded by rice fields.
Hanse and Wagner – the team behind several restorations of top classic courses, including Los Angeles Country Club before the 2023 U.S. Open – removed the trees, shaping the land into an open parcel more reminiscent of a classic links course. Much better drainage was installed, and a fair amount of engineering was necessary to create frequently rolling terrain that would hold up in the area’s climate.
That’s important, because the course needs to play relatively firm and fast to get the most of the template holes, their designs having been established on links ground and the best of them playing across sandy conditions. The ball needs to roll to make the most of such holes.
The private Ballyshear was covered with a local zoysia grass that does, indeed, play relatively firm and fast, especially in comparison to most other courses in Southeast Asia. A well-traveled player won’t confuse the conditions with those found on the links of Scotland or Ireland, but the ball does want to roll out a fair bit at Ballyshear, bringing the ground game into play.
Using the Lido templates was an intriguing idea for the Ballyshear site, as the land was flat to begin with. The original Lido was created by dredging a saltwater expanse and piling up the land until it was dry, then establishing interesting contours. Hanse and Wagner were able to do the same in Thailand. The use of the template holes from the Lido expanded on that theme.
The best part of Ballyshear: the shaping of the greens. Hanse and Wagner built some tremendous swales, valleys and ridges into these greens, many of them utilizing the traditional template greens. The putting speeds of the zoysia greens at Ballyshear will likely never be too fast, allowing the slopes to serve their purposes without getting out of hand. In that regard, they play much more like classic greens would have decades ago before the pursuit of speed rendered some classic slopes unplayable.
In all, Ballyshear (par 71, 6,690 yards) makes for a very different experience than found in much of Thailand, which has rapidly expanded as a golf destination in recent decades. From the low-slung, unobtrusive and perfectly comfortable clubhouse to all the nods at classic design, it’s a beautiful place to spend a day chasing a bouncing golf ball.
Check out a selection of photos from my recent trip to Thailand that included a stop at Ballyshear below.
Team USA clinched third place with a victory over Sweden in the consolation match.
Team Thailand enjoyed a near-perfect week at the 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, dropping only one match over the course of four days.
Former World No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn chipped in to close out the final match against Australia on Sunday, a fitting end for the dominate foursome that went 11-1-0 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
Ariya Jutanugarn, currently No. 83 in the world, looked more like her old self, a two-time major champion, playing alongside sister Moriya. She oozed with confidence and putted beautifully as the sisters were undefeated in both four-ball and foursomes.
Thailand, seeded No. 6, swept No. 7 Australia in the final match, which consisted of two singles matches and, for the first time in event history, one foursomes match. It marked the first time these two countries had advanced to the finals in the fourth edition of the Crown.
Patty Tavatanakit defeated Aussie Hannah Green, 4 and 3, while Atthaya Thitikul dusted Stephanie Kyriacou, 4 and 2. The Jutanugarn sisters birdied four consecutive holes in alternate shot midway through the round to take control.
“I was one of those kids,” said Patty Tavatanakit. “I looked up to the (Jutanugarn) sisters and to be able to play alongside them this week has been a dream come true and also an honor.
“I’m just so excited to see where Thailand’s golf is heading to in the future.”
Ariya Jutanugarn earned the event’s inaugural MVP award. The last time the Jutanugarns won on the LPGA was two years ago at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.
Only the youngest player on the team, Atthaya Thitikul, 20, came into the event in world-class form. Perhaps this week is the spark needed for the rest to get back in the winner’s circle. To reach the final match, Thailand knocked out Team USA in the semifinals.
“I’m going to say we’ve been waiting for this since 2014,” said Ariya, “and finally we got what we’ve been waiting for.”
Prior to this week, Australia’s best finish in the event was sixth in 2018.
Team USA clinched third place with a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the consolation match. Lexi Thompson defeated Maja Stark 3 and 2 and singles, while the Danielle Kang/Nelly Korda duo knocked out Anna Nordqvist/Carolina Hedwall. Madelene Sagstrom did earn Sweden a point after beating Lilia Vu 5 and 4.
“Having team events like this,” said Thompson, “I think, brings a wider fan base for us. I think fans really enjoy it, and I think there’s a lot more energy out here and people cheering and things like that. We got big crowds today.”
This marked the first playing of the Crown, which is meant to be a biennial event, since 2018. The 2025 venue has yet to be announced.
The U.S. will take on Sweden in the consolation match.
Ariya Jutanugarn buried a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to give Thailand control of the last match on the course at the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown. It proved a dagger to Team USA.
Sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn took down World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang, 1 up, thanks to birdies over the last two holes. It was the second point Thailand needed to advance to Sunday afternoon’s final match against Australia at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. Neither of the finalists have ever won the Crown, now in its fourth edition.
The U.S. will take on Sweden in the consolation match Sunday.
CLUTCH 💥
Ariya Jutanugarn gives a Thailand a 1UP lead heading to the 18th tee
Former No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul defeated Lexi Thompson, 3 and 2, in singles play. Lilia Vu posted the only point for Team USA, defeating fellow UCLA Bruin and Chevron champion Patty Tavatanakit, 1 up. It marked the only match Thailand has lost the entire week.
The format for the semifinals and finals consists of two singles matches and one foursomes match. With no team captains, the players determine the lineups.
Anna Nordqvist, a three-time major champion and Solheim Cup stalwart, played impeccable golf at the Crown on Saturday but then fell to Stephanie Kyriacou, No. 118 in the world, in semifinal singles, 4 and 3. Match play never fails to deliver a few shockers.
“I think I play my best when I’m aggressive,” said Kyriacou, “and in match play you only need to beat one person so there’s not as much pressure. But yeah, I played pretty aggressive all day. All week actually.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr8-FIuvDcz/?hl=en
Veteran Sarah Kemp wasn’t at all surprised to see her Aussie team sweep Sweden.
“Not in a cocky way,” said Kemp, “just because of the way we are around each other and the team that we’ve built from the beginning. We’ve had lunch together, we’ve had breakfast together every day, we’ve had dinner together, we do everything together, and we’ve just come together really well, and it’s paying off as you can see on the course.”
Hannah Green, who won on the LPGA exactly one week ago, defeated Caroline Hedwall, 3 and 2, in singles play. Kemp and Minjee Lee took down Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark in foursomes play.
“I think we should be proud of ourselves,” said Nordqvist. “We still have a match for third. Obviously, it was a little bit of a rougher morning than we hoped for, but Australia played great, and there’s not much you can do then.”
Sagstrom, looking ahead to this year’s Solheim Cup in Spain, felt it was a meaningful week for young Stark.
“We all knew her game was good,” said Sagstrom. “This is kind of her first entree to professional team events, so it was nice to have her under my wing and try to help out with whatever experience that I have. She played awesome.”
Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury looks like he won’t be returning to coaching anytime soon.
Per NFL reporter/analyst Peter Schrager, Kingsbury is reportedly telling teams that he won’t be fielding any interviews for vacant offensive coordinator positions at the moment for a pretty understandable reasons.
Kingsbury has reportedly bought a one-way ticket to Thailand and will be vacationing for the time being.
The Cardinals owe Kingsbury a ton of money after he signed an extension on his contract through 2027, so it looks like he’s going to use some of that money on a scenic getaway. Can you blame him?
As I just reported on FOX, multiple teams have contacted Kliff Kingsbury for their vacant OC job.
He bought a one way ticket to Thailand and has told teams (respectfully) that he’s not interested at the moment. @NFLonFOX
Kingsbury will likely coach again in the NFL if he wants to, and he could probably land a head coaching gig at the collegiate level, too. He’s still one of the more respected coaching minds of his generation, even if his time with Arizona ended on a sour note.
However, for now, it looks like Kingsbury has entered vacation mode and has no return flight booked to either the coaching ranks or the United States.
“I think in terms of the conditions, it’s pristine.”
After hosting four consecutive events in the United States, the LIV Golf Invitational Series has packed up shop for a two-week trip abroad.
The upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is hosting its first of consecutive events in Asia this week at the newly-opened Stonehill Golf Club, located an hour north of Bangkok, Thailand. Before the series heads home next week to the familiar Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – the host of the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour – players made sure to heap praise on this week’s course.
One player compared the new track to one of the most heralded properties in the game.
“I think in terms of the conditions, it’s pristine. It’s literally — it’s holy ground. It’s so pure out there,” said Anirban Lahiri, who is making his third start on the series this week. “I would say this is the closest you’d come to maybe comparing to conditions in Augusta, just in terms of the pure turf conditions. It’s phenomenal.”
“It’s ridiculous how good it is,” he added.
Lahiri has played in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club twice, finishing T-49 in 2015 and T-42 in 2016.
Stonehill has been described as a pet project of Sarath Ratanavadi, Thailand’s fourth-richest man, and his son, Saris Ratanavadi. Bloomberg reports that Sarath, the 57-year-old founder and CEO of Gulf Energy Development, is worth $11.1 billion. The tycoon approached LIV Golf this summer and has hinted at other golf tours hosting events at Stonehill.
“I think the good thing is everybody is playing it for the first time, so no one has got an advantage,” said Lahiri, the two-time European Tour winner in 2015 and seven-time Asian Tour winner from 2011-2015. “I think obviously it’s wide open, so you’ve got to hit it good off the tee, but it’s a second-shot golf course.”
“I think I need to eat a lot of curry and pad Thai maybe and help my distance, find another 30 yards before I tee off,” said Kevin Na, who noted the wide fairways will be a bomber’s paradise. “It’s a very, very long golf course.”
“The only thing I feel like that can play in my favor,” explained Na, “there’s good undulations on the green. There’s some runoffs. I feel like you have to putt very well out here, and I think that’s one way that I can make up for the driving distance.”
Na thinks this week’s event will be decided based on how LIV sets up the course
“I hope the rules committee set it up sensible because if you play a back tee every hole and tuck every pin, I just don’t think that’ll be exciting. It won’t be exciting,” said Na, who spoke with rules officials about drivable par-4s and reachable par-5s. “The fans are out here to see birdies and eagles. I’m not saying set it up easy, but I’m saying you have to have a good mixture, and especially with a golf course that nobody has ever played and we don’t know what’s capable.
“I think the first day you have to play it on the safe side and see what happens.”
An elephant in Thailand has been fitted with a prosthetic brace to make her more comfortable in her new “forever home” at a rescue and rehabilitation facility.
An elephant in Thailand has been fitted with a prosthetic brace to make her more comfortable in her new “forever home” at a rescue and rehabilitation facility.
Elephant Nature Park on Saturday shared the accompanying photos of Mae Mai, the 31-year-old elephant, sporting a pink-and-purple brace constructed by Derrick Campana and his team at Bionic Pets.
The brace was fitted late last week. An Elephant Nature Park spokeswoman told ForTheWin Outdoors that Mae Mai is still adjusting while “walking slowly but with more confidence.”
Mae Mai being fitted with a brace. Photo: Elephant Nature Park
In a Saturday Facebook post, the facility thanked Campana and the Gentle Giant Stay Home Project, and other supporters who are helping to ensure a comfortable existence for Mae Mai.
Mae Mai is a former overworked logging elephant. After she suffered a broken hind leg, she became emaciated and fell into ill heath at a camp that was unable to provide her with adequate care.
Photo: Elephant Nature Park
In January 2021, she was walked from the camp along a river to Elephant Nature Park, where she was treated by veterinarians. She walked because she was too weak to step onto a truck (see photo below).
Mae Mai’s condition steadily improved and it wasn’t long before she began “to eat everything in front of her as if she never had food before,” the facility states on its website.
An injured and emaciated Mae Mai before arriving at Elephant Nature Park
Now a permanent resident, and outfitted with the brace, Mae Mai is said to be walking free of pain.
“Look at how much better she looks now – and has become a bit of a fashionista, too, because of her leg brace,” reads one of dozens of comments beneath the Facebook post.
The Virginia-based Bionic Pets designs and constructs prosthetic devices and artificial limbs for animals large and small.
“He put a club in my hand, showed me how to swing. I took my first shot at it, and I outdrove him. He said, ‘Oh, OK.’ ”
Yupha Muzyka likes to grow organic tomatoes in her garden for Alvernia head coach Tom O’Connell. It’s one of a million little ways Muzyka is unlike most college golfers. For starters, she lives at home with her husband and two kids and has a garden. She’s also 39.
Sometimes, Muzyka will jokingly ask O’Connell why he likes to tell her age to opponents.
“Because it’s fun when you beat them,” O’Connell responds.
Alvernia sophomore McKylie Boreman only found out Muzyka’s real age a few weeks ago. Like most, Boreman was blown away.
“She makes it look effortless,” said Boreman of Muzyka’s ability to blend in among players 20 years younger.
Alvernia head coach Tom O’Connell helps Yupha Muzyka with the line of a putt. (courtesy photo)
Alvernia University is a Division III Catholic school in Reading, Pennsylvania. Muzyka’s journey there actually begins in Thailand, where she was born, and moves to Singapore, where she met future husband Steve while visiting her sister.
Muzyka emigrated to America not long after high school and was introduced to golf by Steve, a 12-handicapper who works as an engineer. They started out in miniature golf and then moved to Pleasant Hill Golf Course in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, a beginner-friendly track that no longer operates.
“He put a club in my hand, showed me how to swing,” said Muzyka. “I took my first shot at it, and I outdrove him. He said, ‘Oh, OK.’ ”
A year, later Steve joked that he’d created a monster. Muzyka beat him every time the couple teed it up.
Muzyka always intended to go back to school, and she did, not long after coming to the U.S. But she became deeply frustrated at a community college when her English wasn’t proficient enough to understand the professor. She decided to take a break, but then became pregnant with Alexis, who just turned 16, and wound up taking an even longer break. Her youngest daughter, Allison, is now in the seventh grade.
Yupha Muzyka’s daughters, Allison and Alexis, head out to practice. (Courtesy photo)
As the girls grew older, Muzyka thought it was time to go back to school to finally get that degree in business. In time, she found herself in the admissions office at Alvernia filling out an application form.
When she skipped the line asking if there was an interest in playing sports, Steve told her to go back and check yes.
“I said no, I’m too old,” she recalled.
Steve insisted.
As the admission counselor read over the form, he asked about Muzyka’s interest in playing a sport. Steve took the opportunity to brag on his wife’s amateur career, rattling off her four county championship titles and Women’s Central Penn Golf Association crown.
By the time Muzyka got home, O’Connell was on the other end of her phone line, calling from his beach vacation.
“I’m kind of too old to be a college athlete, aren’t I?” she asked.
Yupha Muzyka poses with her family. (Courtesy photo)
Now in her fourth year on the Alvernia team, Muzyka is four classes away from earning her MBA and works as a graduate assistant in the school’s business financial trading lab. She speaks three languages and carries a 3.9 GPA.
“She’s never missed a match,” said O’Connell. “She can’t get enough of it.”
Muzyka went into the whole thing worried that she’d feel like a third wheel. But that never happened. A tireless worker who, according to O’Connell, is in better shape than anyone on the team, Muzyka won two of the first three events she ever played in college and was Middle Atlantic Conference First-Team All-Conference as a freshman.
Boreman will ask Muzyka about practice drills and classes. Muzyka, who is fully engaged in van conversations, even has a TikTok account. If, on occasion, something gets lost in translation, Muzyka’s sense of humor prevails.
“I wouldn’t even say she acts like a mom to the team,” said Boreman. “She’s literally one of us.”
From left, Alvernia College’s McKylie Boreman, Yupha Muzyka, Katie Lapinsky, Maggie Arnold and Brianna Hocker. (Contributed photo)
Last fall, Alvernia won four consecutive events with Muzyka claiming the title in the last tournament of the semester for her sixth career victory. Muzyka hopes her final spring season at Alvernia will be her most consistent.
This year’s Middle Atlantic Conference Championship is at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, a course she knows well. She’d like to break 75 for both rounds. High standards to the finish.
“It worked out better than I ever could’ve imagined,” said O’Connell.
A total of 10 players from Thailand are in the field this week. Here’s a closer look at some of the host nation’s best.
As the Honda LPGA Thailand celebrates its 15th year, golf in Thailand has never been so robust. Last year Ariya Jutanugarn became the first Thai player to win the event, fitting given that she was the first Thai to win on the LPGA and rise to No. 1.
Incredibly, Thai players finished 1-2-3 last year with LPGA rookie Atthaya Thitikul placing second and last year’s Chevron winner, Patty Tavatanakit coming in third.
This marks the 10th time the Honda Thailand will be contested on the Pattaya Old Course at Siam Country Club.
A total of 10 players from Thailand are in the field: Jaravee Boonchant (Bangkok), Ariya Jutanugarn (Bangkok), Moriya Jutanugarn (Bangkok), Wichanee Meechai (Bangkok), Jasmine Suwannapura (Bangkok), Rina Tatematsu (Bangkok), Patty Tavatanakit (Bangkok), Prima Thammaraks (Bangkok), Atthaya Thitikul (Ratchaburi) and Chanettee Wannasaen (Chiang Mai).
Here’s a closer look at some of the host nation’s best:
