TANTALISING THITIKUL
Atthaya Thitikul seals sensational Simone Asia Pacific Cup double as Thais rule both individual and team honours.
World No. 9 Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, who entered the Simone Asia Pacific Cup in Jakarta with the intention of just “having fun,” transformed the tournament into a one-woman exhibition as she secured a commanding seven-shot victory on Saturday. Starting the final day with a five-shot cushion, Atthaya faced little threat as she traded five birdies against two bogeys for a solid three-under-par 69 at the Pondok Indah Golf Course, finishing at 14-under 202. Da-yeon Lee of South Korea claimed the second spot on 209, with compatriot Min-byeol Kim (70) another two shots back in third. Atthaya also celebrated a double success when she and her partner, Jaravee Bonchant, dominated the team title, also with a seven-shot margin.
Two Korean combinations shared second place, with Team Korea 5 (Min-sol Kim and Hyo-song Lee) and Team Korea 4 (You-min Hwang and Min-byeol Kim), both finishing on identical 424s.
A maiden Ladies Asian Tour Series win ensured that Atthaya did not finish the season empty-handed after coming close with two runner-up finishes on the LPGA Tour this season.
The win earned Atthaya a cool US$110,000, and she also secured a share of the US$24,000 with Jaravee for their success as a team.
“It’s really special. My whole team and I have been waiting for this moment for a while,” said Atthaya, who briefly ranked as the world No. 1 last year.
“This year, we had a really good year, we came close to a win but didn’t get the job done yet. So, to be able to end my 2023 season with a win here makes it even more special.
“I think every tournament that I play is almost equally important; they all hold meaning in relation to the hard work I put in, whether it works out or not. Especially this event where I didn’t expect anything at all.
A thrilled Jaravee found herself in awe of Atthaya’s brilliant performance and expressed how special it was to share the playing field with her compatriot.
“It’s been an incredibly enjoyable week. Watching her play, witnessing her extraordinary shots, and observing her impressive putting has been truly inspiring,” said Jaravee, an LPGA Tour rookie.
“I’ve been eagerly anticipating a team event experience since it doesn’t come around often. Being able to play on the same team with her makes it even more special.”
Meanwhile, it was also a day to savour for Chinese Taipei player Yu-sang Hou after achieving the first hole-in-one of her career on the par-three 12th and winning a brand new Hyundai Stargazer X.
The ace also helped propel Hou into a creditable tie-forseventh on 213 after she closed with a superb 67.
“This is my first hole-in-one ever, and it’s also my first-ever hole-in-one prize for a car,” said a delighted Hou. “I wasn’t really thinking too much because that was my third hole, and I thought, okay, this is a good number. I then hit a really good shot. I didn’t see it go in, but my sister, who was watching with a rangefinder, said that it went in, and I was like, no way. It turned out I did!”