‘Dream come true’: LPGA pro survives furious charge to claim big win in her home country

LPGA pro Patty Tavatanakit pulled off an emotional victory at the Honda LPGA Thailand on Sunday in her home country. But despite starting the final round with a lead, Tavatanakit nearly watched it all fall apart over the final nine holes.

Beginning the day with a three-shot advantage, the 24-year-old pro looked unstoppable on the front nine, making birdies at 1, 2 and 7 to push her lead to five shots at the turn as the fans cheered her on.

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But when Tavatanakit arrived at the 18th tee for her final hole, her big lead had evaporated. But that wasn’t her fault.

Playing two groups ahead, Albane Valenzuela had just pummeled the back nine with six birdies to shoot a 63 and reach 20 under.

Facing the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd, Tavatanakit needed a birdie at the par-5 closing hole to secure her win. After knocking her second shot up near the green, Tavatanakit hit a nifty chip that set up a short birdie for the victory.

“It was a lot of emotions. It was joy. It was — I felt so proud,” Tavatanakit said after her win. “And I felt a little tired, too. But overall, you know, like, again, I had so much pressure on me today just playing in front of the home crowd, and I was able to do that. It was just like a dream come true. It was like unbelievable. Like I still couldn’t believe I did that today.”

According to LPGA.com, the win was Tavatanakit first in 1,057 days. But her only other win came at a major championship, the 2021 ANA Inspiration, which helped her win 2021 LPGA Rookie of the Year honors. For her winning efforts at the Honda LPGA Thailand, Tavatanakit earned $255,000.