Winning not everything as defending champion Jutanugarn seeks balance
Ariya Jutanugarn, the defending Aberdeen Standard Ladies Scottish Open champion, is prepared to sacrifice a first season without a win on the LPGA since 2015 if it allows her to gain a better golf and life balance.
After racking up 10 title triumphs on the US -based circuit, including five victories in the 2016 campaign, the 23- year-old Thai player is experiencing the first fallow period of her career, though, at the same time, still churning out consistently high finishes.
Her last win, in fact, was in the Scottish Open 12 months ago, when she signed off with a 66 at Gullane to finish a shot ahead of Australia’s Minjee Lee, and, though keen to put up a stout title defence, Jutanugarn said that tasting success this week at The Renaissance Club or before the end of the season is not the be all and end all.
“One of the big goals this year is not about winning a tournament but how to manage myself and balance golf and life,” she said ahead of the $1.5 million event – her tenth in 12 weeks – in East Lothian.
“When I am not playing good, I feel everything is bad and I’m not happy at all. I have to separate my life better and, even if I play bad, I still can be happy. I have to understand that, no matter how I play, I still can be the happy person.”
As was the case when the men’s equivalent was held at the same venue four weeks ago, the Tom Doak-designed course has been softened by heavy showers over the past couple of days. That means a totally different test to the hard and fast course Jutanguarn mastered last year.
Continuing a theme she overcame then, the former world No 1 said :“I feel like I don’t really like links courses. It’s not because the course is not good, it is great, but I feel it is so tough for me. I keep complaining to my caddie, ‘so tough, so tough’, but he just told me to be patient, learn a new thing every day and feel better.”