Fit-again Thai star Pornanong is back where she belongs

The 28-year-old from Chaiyaphum has been spending more time at the gym since the off-season to tackle a back injury that has bothered her for several years. She is currently world No 87 after posting only three top-10 finishes last year.
“I recently discovered that I have hereditary scoliosis, which causes pain when I play too much,” said Pornanong, who finished equal 31st in the LPGA Bahamas in January, her only tournament so far this year.
“I was unable to hit as effectively as I used to, which explained my last year’s performance.
“The only way to cope with the symptoms is to strengthen my physical condition, which takes time. Now I’m around 70-80 per cent better.”
Pornanong, currently the Thai No 3, is still searching for her maiden LPGA victory after finishing second at the 2016 Singapore Women’s Champions, 2015 Portland Classic and 2014 LPGA Malaysia.
While her main focus for the rest of 2018 is to be injury-free, her top priority this week is to better her record in her home LPGA event, where she finished 12th two years ago.
“I never make it to the top 10 in Pattaya. So I will try to achieve that on Sunday. I’m not so concerned about the rankings because if I stay healthy and can hit the ball effectively, good results will come,” she added.
Also in the Pattaya field are Thailand’s current top two, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, as well as rising stars such as Saranporn Langkulgasettrin. Of these, world No 7 Ariya has come closest to winning in Pattaya, finishing second in 2013.
“The course condition plays up great usual but the grass is bit long this year,” Pornanong said.
“The green speed is a bit fast with a lot of slopes. You have to putt well to shoot good scores.”