Tiger Woods inspired many golfers with his exceptional career, not only in America but across the globe. The best example of this is Thailand’s LPGA professional, who has been making her mark with her performance at professional events. Paphangkorn Tavtanakit, commonly known as Patty Tavatanakit, turned professional in 2019.

Since turning pro, the Thai golfer has been performing exceptionally well in the tournament. With just eight tournaments after turning pro, she won three times and was awarded Truet Rookie of the Year. Now, after joining LPGA, her parents have been the biggest supporter of her in the journey. However, if Woods hadn’t inspired her, then she would be either a dancer or an actor, which her parents chose for her.

Patty Tavatanakit’s early life inspiration and parent’s support

If ‘Meow’ had followed the path shown by her parents initially, then she wouldn’t be the one that we see. Born on October 11, 1999, she pursued dance and drama but not sports until the age of eight. In January 2008, just after turning eight, she saw Tiger Woods playing, and everything changed for her.

Woods was playing in Thailand in January, and that inspired the young soul to leave drama and dance. She expressed her inspiration by sharing, “I saw Tiger on television, and how he played, how he carried himself, everything he did and I said, ‘Dad, I want to be like that.’” She even shared how a change in perspective changed her life. “It changed my perspective. It really changed my life.”

The inspiration from Tiger Woods was enough for her to love golf and pursue it. Even at a young age, her parents supported her and entered her in a junior event near their home in Thailand. However, there is no information available about her parents as she keeps her life private. However, the quotes and interviews during the LPGA tour have helped us get the information about parents’ support in her early life.

This early exposure helped her win her first tournament at the age of 8. Further, for more exposure, her parents took her to San Diego for the Junior World Championship at the age of 10. After which, it left an irreplaceable love for America and golf for which she said, “Since that time, it’s always been my goal to come here (to America) to play.” She even shared, “I came here (as a junior) and saw all the golf courses and how beneficial it is to be here. So starting at age 10 and every year after that, I came here and realized that I wanted to come to America and play college golf and then play on the LPGA Tour. Yeah, it changed everything for me.”

Her father, apart from being the biggest support, has also helped her during the matches as well. As per the social media post of Tavatanakit in 2015, she shared how her father helped her in the journey. The photo has the golfer and father as the caddie. For that, the caption says, “Oh…it’s national golf day hehe with daddy😍 #tb #nationalgolfday #hondalpga #pattygolf.”

While the support of one’s parents is absolutely crucial in making a golfer, professionals are also involved in building on the talent. Let us have a look at that.

Patty Tavatanakit’s coach and caddie

After her parents, Grant Waite led her to the path of glory by mentoring her on and off the field. He was the coach and caddie for the Thai player. Waite, being a PGA Tour winner, knows the game well and also brings out the best of her potential. Even Patty T. praised her coach saying, “Grant just kind of straightened out my path, just got me up and down a little better, which makes – my ball doesn’t curve that much.” While, after the 2021 interview with LPGA, she hasn’t said anything about her coach, but she has thanked her new caddie after the win in 2024.

Former caddie of Lydia Ko, with more than 32 years of experience, has joined ‘Meow’ in her professional journey, i.e. Jason Hamilton. He helped her with a win at the Ladies European Tour on February 18, 2024. After the event, she thanked her team and Hamilton by remarking, “It’s been a long time since I’ve played this good, but it’s very emotional – I’m very emotional right now at how I overcame that. I just want to thank my team, the coaches, and the trainers back home – I really appreciate them. Thanks to Jason for sticking around this long.”

Other than this, she has mental coaches, i.e. Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriot of Vision54. She has been with the coaches since 2019. One thing about the pro golfer is that she surrounds herself with some of the most experienced coaches and caddies who help her in and out of the field. The result for which is obvious to her career wins. What are your thoughts on Patty Tavatanakit’s journey? Share with us in the comments section below.