Kanyalak and Atthaya lead local charge at LET event
Kanyalak, Atthaya bid for LET victory
PATTAYA: Local stars will try to keep the trophy in the country with a win at the Ladies European Thailand Championship, which tees off today.
The third edition of the event, cosanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and Thai LPGA, is being held at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club.
It offers a total purse of €300,000 (approximately 11 million baht) with the winner taking home €45,000.
The Thai contingent is led by defending champion Kanyalak Preedasuttijit and 2017 winner Atthaya Thitikul.
When Atthaya won the inaugural edition two years ago, she became the youngest ever winner of a professional golf tournament at the age of 14 years, four months and 19 days.
“I prefer not to set too high a target as I don’t want to put extra pressure on myself. I want to go out and try to learn from Thai and European professional players,” Atthaya said.
However, the teenager from Ratchaburi is seen as one of the top contenders.
This week, Atthaya will try to take the title from her friend Kanyalak who will be playing on her home course.
The other Thais in the field include Parinda Phokan, Chonlada Chayanun and Arpichaya Yubol.
Marianne Skarpnord, Esther Henseleit, Meghan MacLaren, Caroline Hedwall, Lina Boqvist, Olivia Cowan, Laura Fuenfstueck, Diksha Dagar and Annabel Dimmock are among the highestranked LET players in the competition.
The winner will qualify for two major tournaments — the Evian Championship next month and the Women’s British Open in August.
The top-five players on the LET Order of Merit after Sunday’s final round will qualify for the Evian and the leading three LET members in the Ladies European Thailand Championship, not otherwise exempt, will earn tickets to the Women’s British Open.
England’s MacLaren will draw on her US college experience as she makes her Pattaya debut.
The 25-year-old from Wellingborough said: “We came out here early to try to acclimatise and I’ve been working on my ball striking.
“It feels good and I’ve been working hard so we’ll see how it holds up.”
McLaren has recorded five top-10 finishes from 10 starts on the LET so far this season and starts the week ranked fourth on the Order of Merit.
The highlights so far include her second LET win at the Women’s New South Wales Open, where she successfully defended the title, a runner-up finish in the Jordan Mixed Open and a third place in last month’s Jabra Ladies Open.
Dimmock, another English player, finished T54th and T19th in Thailand in 2017 and 2018 respectively and is targeting a better result this week. “There’s always been something positive to take away from Thailand and this week, hopefully it’s the golf,” she said.
Germany’s Cowan needs a top-two finish in Pattaya to move into the top five on the LET money list and seal a place in the Evian but she is looking for her first LET title this week. “I’m playing well and I’m just hoping for a win,” she said.