Despite Suffering a Disheartening Defeat by Celine Boutier, Is Atthaya Thitikul the Richest Active LPGA Golfer?

Atthaya Thitikul burst into the scene last year when she climbed to the number one spot in the Rolex World Ranking. The 19-year-old golfer took the world by storm by becoming only second teenager to climb to the number one spot after Lydia Ko. 

Her upward movement on the leaderboard went parallel to her ascent on the money list. Currently, with two LPGA Tour wins and four LET wins, the 20-year-old golfer finds herself in an enviable position on the LPGA money list. But is she the richest active LPGA Tour player?

Is Atthaya Thitikul the richest active female golfer?

When the Thai golfer climbed into the first position on the Rolex World Ranking, there was a rumor that the youngster was the richest active golfer. Her consistent wins both on the LPGA Tour and LET Tour gave credence to the tattle. However, that’s not true. Sorry, Atthaya Thitikul fans. 

Thitikul’s current career earnings stand at a whopping $3513556. She is at 124th position on the list of all-time highest-paid LPGA stars with only 45 tournaments to her name. A runner-up finish at the Maybanks LPGA Championship will earn her another $282,976 in cheques.

But let’s not forget the rising star is still just twenty years old with a long career ahead. Notably, among the active golfers it’s the Australian LPGA pro, Karrie Webb who tops the list while Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko, and Stacy Lewis all find their names in the top ten spots. 

Thitikul was teeing it off against Celine Boutier at the Maybanks LPGA Tour to claim her third LPGA Tour victory. Unfortunately, after a marathon playoff, she had to accept defeat as Boutier capitalized on a slight mistake by the Thai star.

Thai youngster’s crushing defeat to the French International 

It was a long playoff that went over eight holes and included a 90-minute break due to a thunderstorm. The two golfers were making identical shots, nailing one birdie putt after another; it was a clash of two dominant forces at their best. 

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However, after the thunderstorm calmed down, it was the French International who held her own when the Thai golfer gave her an opportunity. In the ninth round, once Thitikul missed the birdie putt, Boutier kept her nerve to cup her own birdie putt to win her fourth career title this season.

Although, it was a heartbreaking defeat, the Thai youngster will leave the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club with her head held high and an additional $280K in her pocket.

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