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.
Starting the 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.
Atthaya finished at 14-under 202, well ahead of Da-yeon Lee of South Korea, who could only muster a 71 to claim the second spot on 209, with compatriot Min-byeol Kim (70) another two shots back in third.
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.
To make the victory even sweeter, Atthaya celebrated a double success when she and her partner, Jaravee Bonchant, dominated the team title, also with a seven-shot margin.
Jaravee closed with her best performance of the week, carding a 70 to finish tied for 13th individually, but it was sufficient to help Team Thailand 2 dethrone South Korea from their team crown with an aggregate of 15-under 417.
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.
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.
Atthaya was on cloud nine after returning to the winner’s circle as her latest victory has boosted her confidence ahead of the new season.
“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—I didn’t expect anything at all.
“I didn’t expect to get the win because we just had some rest, and also, it had been some time since I last touched a golf club.
“I’ve only been practising for two weeks before coming here. So, I believe that every tournament I play is as important as the LPGA Tour. It’s not just about the tournament itself, but more about the way I play.”
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.”
Chinese Taipei’s Yu-sang Hou with her hole-in-one prize- Hyundai Stargazer X. Photo: Simone Asia Pacific Cup
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-for-seventh 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 considered the possibility of a hole-in-one, but I was like, well, whatever. It’s not my decision anyway.”
“I then hit a really good shot. I didn’t see it go in, but my sister, who was watching with a range finder, said that it went in, and I was like, no way. It turns out I did!”
Leading final round scores:
Individual
202: Atthaya Thitikul (Tha) 68-65-69;
209: Da-yeon Lee (Kor) 68-70-71;
211: Min-byeol Kim (Kor) 70-71-70;
212: Min-sol Kim (Kor-Am) 72-70-70, Hyo-song Lee (Kor-Am) 68-73-71, Eila Galitsky (Tha-Am) 70-69-73;
213: Yu-sang Hou (Tpe) 71-75-67, Arianna Lau (Hkg-Am) 73-71-69, Diksha Dagar (Ind) 72-71-70, You-min Hwang (Kor) 75-68-70;
214: Pei-yin Tsai (Tpe) 71-73-70, Hee-jeong Lim (Kor) 70-72-72;
215: Nasa Hataoka (Jpn) 72-71-72, Jaravee Boonchant (Tha) 73-72-70.
Team
417: Thailand 2 (Atthaya Thitikul and Jaraveen Boonchant);
424: Korea 4 (You-min Hwang and Min-byeol Kim) and Korea 5 (Min-sol Kim and Hyo-song Lee);
429: Korea 3 (Da-yeon Lee and So-young Lee;
230: Chinese Taipei (Pei-yun Chien and Pei-ying Tsai).
