Another scary rookie has appeared. This is Thailand again.
Thailand’s upstart Nata Krita Wingta Wirap heralded a blast with her runner-up finish on her LPGA Tour debut.
Wingtawirap finished runner-up with a final total of 21 under par 267 at the Honda Thailand (total prize money of 1.7 million dollars) held at the Siam Country Club Old Course (par 72) in Chonburi, Thailand on the 26th. Wingta Wirap, who booked the championship by leading by 4 strokes until the previous day, allowed her come-from-behind victory to Lilia Bu (USA), who reduced 8 strokes that day, while only reducing 1 stroke, probably because she could not shake off the pressure of winning on the final day. .
Although she missed the championship, the appearance of Wingta Wirap has increased the possibility of becoming a threat to Korean players who are aiming to regain the Rookie of the Year title this season.
Wingtawirap, who served as the Thai national team, is a name that is not unfamiliar to domestic golf fans. Last year, she participated in the Korea Women’s Open after being recommended by the Korea Golf Association.
As an amateur at the time, she tied for 29th after competing on a par with the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour players by hitting 3 under par 285 for four days in a match held at Rainbow Hills Country Club in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do.
Wingtawirap, born in November 2002, is a promising player who has been called ‘the god of Thailand’. He started playing golf at the age of five, teetering and teeming the Thai amateur stage. He has the power to hit an average driver shot of 270 yards and has lifted the championship trophy more than 200 times in large and small competitions alone. In November 2021, she also finished runner-up at the Women’s Amateur Asian Pacific Championships (WAAP) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Her connection with Korea is also special. Since she was 12 years old, she has been taking lessons from Korean coach Kim Jin-seop. In 2021, she became the No. 1 amateur foreign player sponsored by KB Financial Group. She was an amateur and then turned professional, which is why she competes in the competition wearing a hat with the KB Financial Group logo. 토토사이트
After ending her amateur career, Wingta Wirap took her first professional step by challenging the LPGA Q Series in December of last year and receiving her conditional qualification (conditional seed) this season with her tie for 28th. She did not receive a full seed giving her 20th place, but this tournament came as a sponsor’s recommendation. Her runner-up finish allowed her to further increase her chances of competing in future competitions.
With the appearance of Wingtawirap, Thailand is expected to gain more power.
Thailand has already produced two women’s world No. 1 golfers, including Eriya Jutanugarn and Ataya Titikun, who won the Rookie of the Year title last year, and Patty Tawatanakit, Moriya Jutanugarn, and Pazari Anannarukan. She has become a strong player on the LPGA Tour by lifting the championship trophy on the LPGA Tour.
Recently, the Rookie of the Year, which Korea had monopolized, also passed into the hands of Thailand.
In Korea, starting with Kim Se-young in 2015, Jeon In-ji in 2016, Park Seong-hyun in 2017, Ko Jin-young in 2018, and Lee Jeong-eun in 2019, they swept the Rookie of the Year Award for five consecutive years. However, following Patty Tawatanikit in 2021, the rookie award was given to Atya Titikkun last year.
Korea has inflated expectations of recapturing the rookie of the year this season. Yoo Hae-ran, who won 5 victories as a rookie of the KLPGA tour, passed the Q Series in first place and was expected to play solo. However, the appearance of Wingtawirap made it impossible to relax.
In this competition, last year’s performance gave priority to qualification, so Hae-Ran Yoo could not participate. Wingtawirap, who participated on the recommendation of a sponsor, received 80 points for the rookie award as the runner-up.