Patty Tavatanakit Claims ANA Inspiration
Patty Tavatanakit Claims ANA Inspiration
A stunning day of golf concluded with Patty Tavatanakit claiming her first Major title by two shots at the ANA Inspiration.
Patty Tavatanakit Claims ANA Inspiration
Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit managed to hold off a charging Lydia Ko in the final round of the ANA Inspiration.
Tavatanakit had started the round five shots clear of Ally Ewing and Mirim Lee, but despite being three-under-par through the front nine, found herself only two-shots clear of Ko.
The 21-year-old, who hadn't won on the LPGA Tour, started her round perfectly with a chip-in eagle at the second.
However, despite a birdie at the eighth, Tavatanakit found her lead cut down to two shots, this was due to a phenomenal front nine from Ko.
Starting her round with a birdie and an eagle, the New Zealander then birdied the fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth for a front nine of 29.
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Further birdies followed at the 10th and 11th before a long putt at the 15th dropped in to move Ko to 10-under-par for her round.
Tavatanakit wasn't phased though, producing a birdie at the 12th hole, before near chip-ins at the 14th and 17th meant she would have a two-shot lead going up the 18th hole.
Related: 5 Biggest Short Game Mistakes
Finding the green comfortably on the par-5 18th, Tavatanakit two-putted for her first Major victory in what was a thrilling final round.
Speaking after her round, Tavatanakit said: "I had no idea what Lydia was doing today, I didn't look at the leaderboard at all. I saw her name up there, but I just focused on my own game which I did really well.
"I just kept hitting good shots and overall I just stuck to my game plan. It was tough mentally and there was a lot going on. I was really nervous through the first seven holes, but I kept walking into the shots a bit slower to calm myself down and that was really important for today.
"It's a dream come true, I was on this green receiving my low amateur award (in 2018) and I recorded a Snapchat and captioned it 'one day' and it's just been crazy."
Tavatanakit had led the tournament from the very first round, with four rounds in the 60's meaning the Thai will now move inside the top-100 of the world rankings.
Related: The Masters Favourites 2021
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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