Thai hotshot Ariya targets Olympic gold
Bangkok native meets prime minister today
Basking in the glory of her historic triumph on the LPGA Tour last week, world No.21 Ariya Jutanugarn has set her sights on winning an Olympic gold medal for Thailand.
The 20-year-old golfer, who is due to meet Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Government House today, became the first Thai champion on the women’s top tour after winning the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic on Sunday.
She hopes to remain in form until the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Aug 5-21 when she is certain to form a part of the Thai women’s squad.
Pornanong Phatlum, who is ranked 33rd in the world, will join her at the Games.
“The Olympic gold is one of my goals this year,” said Ariya, who was introduced to golf by her father Somboon at the age of five.
“I will try my best to bring home the medal despite the fact that the course does not suit my game.
“On the tour, I am always trying to win every tournament and my target is to be among the top 10 in the world by the end of this year.”
Apart from Ariya and Pornanong, Thailand can also hope for a medal from the men’s competition with in-form Kiradech Aphibarnrat and veteran Thongchai Jaidee, ranked 42nd and 49th in the world respectively, being assured of places at the Rio Games.
Ariya, playing in her second year on the LPGA Tour, said she came close to winning the title on many occasions in the past but failed. Later, she changed her mindset and tried to be as positive as she could.
“I have worked quite hard in the past few months. Finally, I made it with my new way of thinking and practising.
“The caddie always tells me to believe in myself and love each shot that I play. It works well.”
Meanwhile, Somboon was happy to see his daughter realise her dream.
Somboon said he believed in Ariya’s potential to reach the top of the world in the future.
“With proper management, more success is waiting for her,” said Somboon, who now follows his daughter’s progress on TV or web after separating from his wife Narumol three years ago.
“I am always following Ariya and [her elder sister] Moriya and am happy to see that they are improving.”
Moriya is 42nd on the money list and 96th in the world.
Thanks to her win last week, Ariya moved up to sixth place on the money list with US$492,820 (about 17.2 million baht) and also climbed to 21st spot in the world rankings. She has replaced Pornanong as Thailand No.1 for the first time.
Apart from the Olympic Games, she will also lead the Thai team at the second edition of the International Crown in July. The tournament features eight teams based on the players’ world rankings.
She will next play at the Kingsmill Championship and hopes to get at least a top-10 finish.
Ariya and her team yesterday signed their names in a book to wish to His Majesty the King well at Siriraj Hospital. She said that she wanted to dedicate the title to His Majesty.
“Actually, my mom and I always follow the sustainable economy concept given by His Majesty. It is very practical for our daily life.”
Ariya also paid a visit to her sponsors SCG who rewarded her with a 10-baht-gold golf ball for her recent triumph.
SCG president Roongrote Rangsiyopash said the company wanted to congratulate Ariya on behalf of the Thai people.
“I hope it is just the first step and more success will follow,” he said.
“This win will also inspire all the young players to follow her footsteps and we are ready to help them to grow as professional players.”