After a round that was one outside the record for a women’s major-South Korea’s Kim Hyo-Joo shot 61 in the first round of the 2014 Evian Championship-she warned: “Today was great, but it is only the first round”.
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She first played in a LPGA event in her homeland as an 11-year-old – nine years later and she is now a household name and the country’s first major champion.
“I think it’s really important for me – and for Thai golf”, she said.
Having accomplished her dream of winning a major title, Jutanugarn will head to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro full of confidence and with the belief that winning a gold medal will definitely be more of a reality than a dream.
Ariya suffered more misfortune in April when she led another major, the ANA Inspiration in California, by two shots and frittered away her opportunity to win with three bogeys in each of the last three holes.
The Thai then steadied herself well after taking six shots at the 13th, responding with three straight pars to maintain her slender lead over playing partner Lee.
“I love this course”, said the player whose older sister, Moriya, is also in the field and celebrated her 22nd birthday with a 69. Jutanugarn took the Women’.
“I think I got mad after that hole”, Jutanugarn told reporters of her double bogey.
“I learned a lot from what happened to me at the ANA Inspiration and I think that helped today. I had missed a few and I just wanted to make myself happy by holing it”. I’m 19, so I have a lot of chance to be better and I have a lot of time to work on that. But she struggled midway through the season, missing ten consecutive cuts during the year. A second bad time would have resulted in a one-stroke penalty, but both players avoided that.
But Jutanugarn stood firm, and landed a snaking 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole before comfortably making par in front of the crowds on the final hole to secure her fourth title of the year.
Stacy Lewis continued her recent resurgence when she finished alone in 4th position, two shots behind the pair tied for second while three-time victor Karrie Webb reversed season to date when she finished in a share of 5th place, with Ha Na Jang and Catriona Matthew. “I have to focus on what is under my control”. Lee dropped her only shot of the day at the par-4 third to open the door for Jutanugarn and Matthew.
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“I’m really looking forward to the whole atmosphere, staying in the village and seeing some of the other sports”.
