Thai amateur Atthaya Thitikul made history on Sunday by winning the Ladies European Tour’s Thailand Championship to become the youngest winner of a professional golf tour event.
Thitikul, who turned 14 in February, carded an even-par 72 at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club in Pattaya to finish on 5-under for the tournament – two shots ahead of Mexico’s Ana Menendez.
A Thai National Team member, Thitikul entered the final round one shot off Menendez, but rebounded from a bogey on the first to birdie the 7th. Another dropped shot on the ninth did not derail her, though, as she picked up a shot on the par-4 15th before holding her nerve to come home with three straight pars.
At 14 years, 4 months & 19 days, Thitikul breaks the record of Canada's Brooke Henderson, who won a Canadian Women's Tour event in 2012 aged 14 years, 9 months and 3 days. Before Thitikul’s triumph on Sunday, Lydia Ko held the record for youngest victor on the Ladies European Tour, at 15 years, nine months and 17 days.
