Patti Tavatanakit won the Honda LPGA Thailand tournament in her home country on Sunday, returning to the top of LPGA events for the first time in almost three years.
Her win ended her LPGA drought and brought tears and emotion to the forefront.
Still, it was Tabatanakit’s second consecutive win, having won last week’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International by seven strokes.
Tavatanakit finished the final round with a 5-under 67, finishing at 21 under and winning by one stroke. It was the first time since her 2021 victory that she posted scores in the 60s in all four rounds.
When she missed her final putt on No. 18, many fellow LPGA players greeted her on the green. soak her in water And celebrate.
“There were a lot of emotions. It was joy. It was a really proud feeling. And I was also a little tired,” she said. “But overall, there was a lot of pressure today just to play in front of our home crowd and we were able to pull it off. It was unbelievable. I still can’t believe we did that today.” I couldn’t.”
It was an emotional moment for her, who has overcome so much since her last win on the LPGA Tour.
That year, she won her first LPGA and major championship at the ANA Inspiration. Following this her win, she recorded her eighth T7 or better finish, won the Rolex Annika her major award, and Louise Suggs her Rolex Rookie of the Year award.
Things were looking very bright for the former UCLA Bruin standout.
However, the following season, she suffered a major sophomore slump. Tavatanakit started the year with four top-15 finishes, but things went awry from there. She started in eight games from June to mid-September and missed the cut in seven games, but then an injury forced her to withdraw from the LPGA Mediheal Championship, which ultimately ended her season.
Last season also looked like a difficult one for her, but she rebuilt her team and reached the Tour Championship, finishing 54th in the race to CME Grove.
Ahead of the Honda LPGA Thailand tournament, Thavatanakit told the media that it had been a long time since he had played this well. The 24-year-old has had to step up this week, especially after his win. It’s hard to win back-to-back, but she dug deep.
“It was a dream come true to win in Saudi Arabia last week and again this week in my home country,” said Tabatanakit. “I was outside the ropes at one point in my life, but now I’m on the inside and I get to play with some great girls. They’re the best in the world. To be able to close it out now is… It’s pretty unrealistic.”
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
