Teens READY to take on the pros

The 19-year-old Budsabakorn, along with Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras, 18, and amateur Papangkorn Tavatanakit, 16, are the three youngsters representing the nation in the country’s most lucrative women’s tournament. Despite their inexperience on the tour, compared to their heavy-weight compatriots Pornanong Phatlum, Ariya Jutanuarn, Moriya Jutanugarn and Thidapa Suwannapura, who are also in action this week at the par-72, 6,548-yard landscape, the youngsters are not writing off their chances of stealing the show from players, who are ranked inside the top 60 in the world.

 

“Any one of us has an equal chance of winning here. It will all come down to putting. Those who putt better, win. After two days of practice, I’ve learned that there are a lot of slopes, which is something I have to pay more attention to during putting. I missed the cuts in my opening LPGA events in Bahamas and Florida. I hope to do better in the home tournament,” said Chiangrai-native Budsabakorn, who was tied second in the LPGA Final Qualifying Stage last year.

 

Roi Ed star Pannarat, who earned her card after finishing fifth in the Q-School, believes the young ones are capable of producing stunning results this week as the Thailand yearn for its first LPGA winner.

 

“Young or old, you have an equal chance of winning once you set your foot on the green. As long as you shoot better scores, you are in contention. What I need to do on this course is to keep the ball in the right places to put myself in a good position. If I can stick to my game plan, I can be a strong contender,” said Pannarat, who finally realised the dream of playing in the tournament after attending as a spectator for many years.

 

“Who would have thought that I would be playing alongside Lexi Thompson and Karrie Webb [in the first round] whom I used to watch on TV. I’m nervous but I will try to gain as much experience as I can from them,” said Pannarat, who missed the cut in her debut LPGA event in Australia last week.

 

Papangkorn, who settled for tied 43rd position 12 months ago, is the youngest competitor in the stellar field. She, however, has no fears of playing alongside world class players.

 

“At this stage I want to finish better than last year but I also would love to have an amazing result this week. On any given day, I can put myself in top position. I just need to putt accurately and make a lot of birdies,” said the teenager from Bangkok.

 

The spectators’ attention will be on the country’s No 1 Pornanong, who admitted that she must overcome huge expectations and the pressure on her shoulders to take the coveted prize.

 

 “In Bahamas, when I was leading with a seven-under score in the final round, all the cameras started following. The pressure got the better of me. I began to think too much and could not putt the way I do. If that has bothered me, imagine how would I feel playing this home event,” the world No 39 said.

 

“So it all comes down to how I handle the situation. Theoretically I know what to do, but it’s not easy to achieve it practically. I just hope to have a good start with several birdies and carry that momentum through the entire tournament,” the Thai said.

 

Defending champion Amy Yang of South Korea hopes the fond memories of winning here a year ago will inspire her to go for back-to-back titles.

 

 “I have been here eight times but this is the first time that I have seen a lot of posters of mine everywhere. I’m honoured to be listed as the event’s champion. The most memorable moment was when my Korean friends poured water on me. I hope to feel that moment again,” said the world No 12.