Ariya and caddie Luark reunite, put disagreement to rest
PHOENIX: Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn has a familiar face on the bag at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup this week, Golfweek reported.
She’s gone back to Les Luark, the caddie who stuck with her during those 10 consecutive missed cuts in 2015 and helped her win three in a row last May at the Yokohama Tire, Kingsmill and Volvik events, the magazine said on its website.
World No.2 Ariya is one of five top-20 players with a new caddie on the bag since the HSBC Women’s Champions Singapore, joining Lexi Thompson, Suzann Pettersen, Chun In-Gee, and Minjee Lee.
Luark quit Ariya after the US Women’s Open last year after the two had a disagreement, the magazine reported.
She picked up Pete Godfrey and won the Women’s British Open in short order for her first major title.
Ariya then wrapped up the LPGA Player of the Year award and the US$1 million CME Race to the Globe bonus at the year-ender in Naples before splitting with Godfrey.
Ariya used veteran caddie Dylan Vallequette for the first four events of 2017, but after Singapore felt it was time to give Luark another chance.
According to Golfweek, Vallequette has since picked up Chun’s bag.
Communication is the big key going forward with Luark, Ariya said.
The Thai star treated Luark like an older brother.
“Sometimes when it’s too close, we do something that hurts the other person and we don’t know,’’ she was quoted as saying.
Ariya said both have pledged to talk more. “Try to be nice to each other more. That’s the key,” she said.
As for golf, the 21-year-old seemed unusually chipper about the state of her game.
She beamed when talking about the final round in Singapore, where she closed with a 66 but couldn’t catch Park In-Bee’s hot putter.
“She inspired me a lot,” said Ariya who lost to the South Korean by a stroke.
After a slow start to the season, Ariya has since had three top-10 finishes in Australia, Pattaya and Singapore.
In the first two rounds of the Founders Cup which tees off today, defending champion Kim Sei-Young is grouped with world No.1 Lydia Ko and top-ranked American Lexi Thompson.
Ariya will play alongside 2013 Founders Cup winner Stacy Lewis of the US and Swede Anna Nordqvist.