Life came full circle for Patty Tavatanakit on Sunday at Siam Country Club. She was 6 years old the first time an LPGA event was held in Thailand. After coming to the Honda LPGA Thailand event as a spectator, she played on a sponsor invitation as an amateur and then, at age 24, became the second Thai player to win the event in dramatic fashion.
Tavatanakit closed with a 5-under 67 over the Old Course to finish at 21-under 267, one shot ahead of Swiss player Albane Valenzuela. A swarm of friends, including World No. 1 Lilia Vu, showered her with water on the 18th green as she broke down in a flood of emotions.
“It’s a dream come true to win here,” said Tavatanakit, who won $255,000 for her efforts. “I was outside the ropes at one point in my life and now I’m inside, get to play with all these amazing girls. They’re the best in the world. To be able to close it is pretty surreal right now.”
Tears of joy.@Patty_MPT birdies 18 to win the Honda LPGA Thailand pic.twitter.com/7veLdKP737
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 25, 2024
Here are five things to know about a special Sunday in Thailand:
How it ended
Tavatanakit got off to a hot start with a pair of birdies on the first two holes. Admittedly fatigued after her seven-stroke victory the week before on the Ladies European Tour in Saudi Arabia, Tavatanakit forced herself to keep eating throughout the front nine to maintain her energy for the finish.
As Tavatanakit headed toward the final stretch, a bogey on the 15th put her title in question as Valenzuela made a back-nine charge.
Tavatanakit admitted to feeling nervous on the 16th tee, a par 3 playing 176 yards. She told herself that she was up for the challenge, picked up her 6-iron and looked at the target “just like a sniper.”
She’d later call that birdie one of the best of the week.
On the closing hole, a magnificent chip from just off the green set up a tap-in birdie putt that would end a victory drought that stretched 1,057 days.
“The mindset was embrace adversity,” she said, “and I did today.”
The chip that set up the winning putt 💯@Patty_MPT | @hondalpgath pic.twitter.com/X8AYL9yBV2
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 25, 2024
The challengers
Valenzuela, playing two groups back, shot 30 on the back nine to close with an LPGA career-low 63 and finish one shot back at 20 under. The solo second marks the Stanford star’s best finish on tour.
“It’s funny, yesterday I felt a little bit more nervous. Today I just had the sense of inner peace that I could do it. I was just foot on the gas and just tried to go get it. I told my dad, ‘let’s go to 20,’” said Valenzuela. “I’m just really just proud of myself. I just fought really hard and I just see that I can make puts under pressure.”
Hye-Jin Choi and Sei Young Kim finished in a share of third at 18 under.
Thai winners
Tavatanakit joins Ariya Jutanugarn (2021) as the only Thai players to win on home soil. There are now six Thai players with at least two victories on the LPGA: Pajaree Anannarukarn (2), Atthaya Thitikul (2), Moriya Jutanugarn (2), Jasmine Suwannapura (2) and Ariya Jutanugarn (12).
Ariya Jutanugarn became the first Thai winner on the LPGA in 2016.
Inside the numbers
The Honda LPGA Thailand event marked the first time Tavatanakit has recorded all four rounds in the 60s since she won the 2021 Chevron Championship.
What stood out this week?
KPMG Performance Insights show that she’s been exceptional from 150-175 yards, an area she was simply average last season.
Last year Tavatanakit averaged 34 feet, 7 inches from that distance. In Thailand through three rounds, she averaged 15 feet, 7 inches.
She was also 6-for-13 on the greens from 10 to 15 feet away through three rounds, another significant area of improvement from 2023.
'Imposter syndrome'
Last year’s champion, Vu, was one of the first to congratulate Tavatanakit. The pair of UCLA champs also had dinner together earlier in the week.
Vu, who opened with a 73, said during the first round her body was a little shocked by the heat. The strain on her Whoop device registered 19, much higher than usual. As she adjusted, Vu shot 67-67-65 to close out the event in a share of seventh. She left Thailand with a lot more confidence than she had after the first two events of 2024, saying the bounce-back shows her resilience. Vu broke 70 only once in her first nine rounds of 2024.
“I think that’s going to give me a lot of motivation to go out there and play my game and just trust that I have it,” said Vu. “I think that was where I fall into my imposter syndrome sometimes and I’m like, I don’t think I have it anymore, and then one day you’ll have it. Just maintaining and nurturing that side, okay, you’re good.”
“It’s kind of crazy thinking about like ‘Oh, you’re at the top of your sport and you don’t feel like it.’ That’s something that I’ve had to battle quite a bit.”
