The ‘mushin’ quenching’ that made Patti Tawatanakit stronger
At the time, world No. 1 Ko Jin-young approached Patty, a rookie in her second year of the tour, on the 10th hole of the DynaShore Tournament Course, to introduce herself and exchange greetings. Patty was in her second year of the LPGA tour, but she did not have a chance to play a round with Ko as most of the competitions were canceled due to COVID-19. The two began the practice round by hugging each other warmly.
Ko Jin-young safely shot a tee shot from the white tee to the hybrid club. After her turn, Patty swung the driver in the back tee. Patty’s driver tee shot flew well over the bunker at 250 yards and flew close to 300 yards.
Ko Jin-young’s eyes widened. The name Patti Tawatanakit was strongly engraved in her head. Her practice round with him was a series of surprises for Ko.
Having never had a chance to meet Patty, Ko Jin-young just didn’t know that Patty was already showing a strong presence among golf fans as a new 星. I never imagined that Lee would become the first winner of a major championship this season and jump into the “Poppy Pond.”
She surprised golf fans around the world by winning the ANA Inspiration title. Starting the final round with a five-stroke lead over tying for second, she beat Ko’s dreadful pursuit of 10-under par by two strokes, signaling the birth of a mega rookie by making her debut in a major LPGA tournament. She is the second rookie winner in 37 years since Julie Inster of the U.S. won the ANA Inspiration title for the first time as a rookie in 1984.
However, she had to go through a slump, not a slump, as she failed to add more wins after her first win. She once ranked 12th in the world and was pushed down to the top 80 as she failed to win an additional championship.
Patti Tawatanakit won the Honda Thailand Championship, the first Asian swing competition of the LPGA Tour, with 21-under 267 overall, which ended at the Siam Country Club (par 72) in Chonburi, Thailand on Saturday. It is her second win in almost three years since the ANA Inspirational victory. As she won the LPGA Tour following the LPGA Tour’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International victory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week, it seems that her upward trend is unusual.
His 165 centimeter-tall, elastic swing that reminds people of rubber-like elasticity makes viewers mute. The reason he is surprised by his swing is that despite his small physique, he shoots over 300 yards of drive shots with great accuracy. Iron shots also go as far as other hybrid shots or wood shots. His average driving distance is 272.5 yards, ranking seventh in the LPGA tour, but he easily flies over 300 yards.
Patty, who started the final round with a three-shot lead, was once expected to win with a gap of five shots between second place and second place, but was fiercely chased by Albany Valenzuela (26, Switzerland) as her short putt was missed. While Valenzuela cut as many as nine shots to finish the round with 20 under par, tied with Patty, waiting for overtime, Patty placed a chip shot around the green on the pin to make a birdie at the final hole (par 5). Just like last week’s LET championship, Patty burst into tears as soon as she was confirmed to win the championship. It suggests how long the winless period has bothered her.
Her victory in two consecutive LPGA tournaments is an emergency for Korean golfers in the LPGA tour. Expectations were high as 11 top-ranked Korean golfers in the LPGA tour participated in the event. Kim Se-young, Choi Hye-jin, and Kim Hyo-joo joined the race to take the lead, but they felt that it was not enough to overcome Patti Tawatanakit. The two-year winless period proved that Patti’s performance was a precious time of tempering that strengthened her performance.
However, it is a green light that four Korean golfers, including Kim Se-young and Choi Hye-jin, tied for third (18 under par), Kim Hyo-joo for fifth (17 under par), and Yoo Hae-ran for ninth (15 under par), have made it to the top 10. If Korean golfers adapt quickly to the season, they can expect a revival of Hallyu golf. Along the way, Patti Tawatanakit is something that Korean players have to overcome.
The second Asian swing tournament, the HSBC Women’s World Championship, will be held at Sentosa CC in Singapore from February 29 to March 3, and the third tournament, the Blueberry LPGA, will be held at Jian Lake Bluebe in Hainan Island, China from March 7 to 10.
*Columnist Bang Min-joon: He majored in Korean literature at Seoul National University, joined the Hankook Ilbo, and worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. In his late 30s, he wrote various golf books exploring the endless world of golf, such as golf, encounters, and jungle. To him, the years he has been involved in golf are recognized as a way of composition and a voyage to find philosophy that penetrates his life.
BY: 사설토토