NB3 Junior Golf Boss Expects Thai Success in World Championship
Notah Begay Junior Golf CEO Ryan Burr believes that Thai youngsters can cause some stir in the Notah Begay III Junior Golf World Championship in the US after they showed impressive performance in the NB3 Thailand event.
Six Thai winners (boys and girls between 8-11, 12-14 and 15-18 divisions) from the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship competed at the Suvarnabhumi Golf and Country Club from June 4-7 were awarded spots into the World Championship scheduled in November.
Throughout the four-day competition, Burr witnessed and was so impressed by the potentials of local juniors that he believed they would have a breakthrough in the US tournament.
“The amount of talent that I’ve seen in these for days, there’s no doubt in my mind that the winners that come from Thailand will have the chance to win in the World Championship. I can’t say how proud and surprised I am to see how good these kids are,” said Burr.
Kittipong Kamlangklee and Natchanok Tunwannaruk will represent Thailand in the boys’ and girls’ 15-18 categories respectively while Prakit Jumpla and Namo Luangnitikul will compete in the 12-14 boys’ and girls’ 12-14 events. Also earning their spots in the World Championship are Takrit Supagonchoowong and Suritpreeya Pruksanubal in the boys’ and girls’ 8-11 divisions.
“I think they are good enough. I think the girl (Natchanok) from the 15-18 girls is already verbally committed to play at the University of Georgia. We’ve known about her in the US for a long time. I would not at all be surprised if she went to the US and won the World Championship,” the NB3 Junior Golf executive viewed.
Notah Begay III Thailand National Championship was derived from what was the World Championship in the US. For the first time, an NB3 event was held outside the United States.
“I know that Thailand is passionate about golf. Certainly, some of the best players in the world are Thai. To give these kids a pathway to come to the US to have the chance to get educated at some of the best schools for free is a win-win for everybody,” Burr said.
As one of the biggest junior golf events in the world, the NB3 Finals is broadcast on national television to millions of homes in the US. That provides a chance for college coaches in America to scout talented players and recruit them to study in their institutes.
“The six Thai players who qualified for the World Championship will be discovered by every college coach in America such as Stanford, Howard, Yale, Florida, Texas or UCLA. It’s the opportunity to help change the lives of some of these young Thais and get them a free scholarship to study in the US,” he added.
With the success of the maiden Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship, Burr plans to hold an even bigger tournament in Thailand next year.
“ The plan will be bigger and much better next year. Our plan certainly with the way this has gone and the kind of players we are getting, we certainly welcome the sponsorship and help from cooperate Thai us bring this back and many years to come.
“If you have the chance to play in the Notah Begay II Thailand Junior Golf National Championship, it will have the chance to absolutely change your life. The opportunity to come play on television on a broadcast that is seen by everyone. You may leave Thailand and not a lot of people know who you are. But when you leave the United States, everybody will know who you are,” he concluded.
