Thai teen Thitikul becomes 2nd youngest No. 1 women’s golfer

Thai teenager Atthaya Thitikul reached No. 1 within the ladies’s world rating on Monday, the sixteenth participant and second-youngest to get to the highest for the reason that rating started in 2006.

Thitikul had an opportunity to achieve No. 1 by successful any of her final three tournaments on the LPGA Tour. As a substitute, the 19-year-old changed Jin Young Ko of South Korea on per week through which she did not play.

Thitikul heads to the Toto Japan Traditional to make her debut at No. 1.

“It is rather particular to get to the highest however it’s a lot tougher to retain,” Thitikul stated.

Her first full 12 months on the LPGA Tour has been extra constant than excellent. Thitikul has received twice – in California per week earlier than the primary main and in Arkansas – to go together with 12 different finishes within the prime 10.

She ended final 12 months at No. 19 on this planet after a two-win season on the Women European Tour and took benefit of robust play and accidents on the prime.

Nelly Korda, who began the 12 months at No. 1, had surgical procedure for a blood clot in her left arm and wound up lacking 4 months.

Ko started her season by successful the HSBC Girls’s World Championship in Singapore and had been No. 1 for the reason that finish of January. However she is coping with an harm in her left wrist that saved her out for 2 months, after which she withdrew in her return on the BMW Women Championship in South Korea.

That cleared the best way for Thitikul, who has completed within the prime 10 her final 5 begins.

Thitikul is the fourth participant to achieve No. 1 with out having received a significant, becoming a member of Lydia Ko in 2015, Ai Miyazato in 2010 and Lorena Ochoa.

Lydia Ko stays the youngest to be No. 1, getting there for the primary time at age 17.

Thitikul in 2017 turned the youngest participant to win knowledgeable golf match on the Women European Thailand Championship when she was 14 years, 4 months. That was amongst her 4 LET victories.

She joins Sung Hyun Park as the one gamers to achieve No. 1 throughout their rookie season on the LPGA Tour. Park had received 10 instances on the Korea LPGA earlier than coming to America.

Jin Younger Ko has been No. 1 4 instances for a complete of 152 weeks, leaving her seven weeks in need of breaking the document for many weeks at No. 1 set by Ochoa from April 2007 till her shock retirement three years later.