As a 10-year-old, the Thai star realised that if she became good enough at golf, she could support her family
NO ONE in my family plays golf. It wasn’t a popular sport in the small city of Ratchaburi in Thailand where I grew up. As a child, I was sick a lot. It wasn’t anything serious, but I got colds constantly. A doctor told my dad, Montree, and my mum, Siriwan, that I needed to play a sport – either golf or tennis – so I’d be outside, and I could control my own schedule. We watched golf on TV, and I chose that over tennis. Tennis requires too much running.
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My dad found a teacher in Bangkok. It was an hour drive each way, so we went on the weekends. My dad owns a carwash, and my mum is a hairdresser. They worked around their schedules to take me. I liked golf immediately. It was challenging and fun, and there were other kids to play with. At 10, I knew I loved golf and competing. I also realised back then that if I got good enough, I could support my family.
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When I was 13, I made Thailand’s national team. I got to play in Asia, the States and Europe. I lived at home with my parents and my sister. I went to a normal school, but they let me travel for golf tournaments and camps. It was a bilingual school. We spoke English and Thai. English was my favourite subject.
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On the national team, I met my
coach, Kris Assawapimonporn. He earned my trust when he made a big change in my swing. My grip was extremely strong, and I could work the ball only in one direction, a draw. He told me if we didn’t make the change, I’d make it to the LPGA Tour, but I wouldn’t make it to the top. He left the choice to me. I did it. It took a full year, but I’m so much better for it.
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When the Ladies European Tour (LET) came to Thailand, I played even though I was 14. I became the youngest LET winner when I won the Thailand Championship. The next year, I won the 2018 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, which got me opportunities to play in LPGA Tour events. I finished T-8 at the HSBC and was the low amateur at the Chevron Championship.
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Still, I saw turning pro wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. They were more consistent, more skilled. I needed to get stronger and learn more shots around the green. My dad thought I should turn professional when I was 16. He saw my results and knows how competitive I am, but I wasn’t ready.
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The next year, I decided it was time, but I wanted to play smaller tours first to get to know different courses and grasses and how to play in different weather before going to the LPGA. The first year I turned pro, COVID hit. I was stuck in Thailand, but I was lucky: my coach was there, and we were able to do a lot of work on my swing.
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I played the Thai LPGA Tour in 2020
and won five times. I spent 2021 on the LET, won twice and was rookie of the year. That autumn I went to LPGA Q school and never felt more stress. I could feel the attention on me. Carrying that feeling for two weeks was exhausting. The pressure I put on myself is one thing, but adding the pressure others put on me can be too much. I’m still not good at handling pressure. I don’t want other people’s thoughts to change how I feel on the course. Hopefully I’ll keep getting better at it as I get older.
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When I got my card, I felt relief. Once that passed, I felt so happy and proud of myself. I just thought what a big year of learning this was going to be.
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As a rookie, I didn’t want to base my goals on trophies because I can do everything right, and someone could just play better than me. I want to learn and adapt to make myself as good as possible in the future.
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I’m also learning you shouldn’t think about golf 24 hours a day. Rest is as important as training. Keeping my relationships with friends is the key to staying balanced. I like to joke around a lot. My friends would probably say that I’m the baby of the group. Pajaree Anannarukarn is one of my closest friends. A lot of the rookies have become friends, too.
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I felt a lot of pride when I won the JTBC Classic in my rookie year. Everyone on tour wants to win. It validated everything I have been doing, the decisions I’ve made and the people I’ve surrounded myself with. In Thailand, more people know me now. I’m not a celebrity, but I know what I’m doing makes my country proud and is getting more people interested in golf.
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I’ve been able to achieve my goal of supporting my family. We all live in Bangkok now, but I plan on buying a home in Las Vegas so that I have a place to stay during the season. My next goal is to win a Major. I don’t care which one; I’ll take any of them.
