Who Is Patty Tavatanakit? The 24 Year Old Storm of the LPGA Tour

In the female golf world, the name Patty Tavatanakit is now beginning to resonate loud and clear, like the euphonious sound of a well-struck tee shot echoing through the golfing greens. At just 24, the Thai LPGA star is already leaving an indelible mark in a game blending skill, resilience, and unwavering determination. And her recent wins at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International and now at home at the Honda LPGA Thailand are the perfect examples!

The path leading the 2014 Callaway Junior World Golf Champion to this point has been anything but straightforward. While it began with a burst, it soon flamed out. However, perhaps now the spark has once again been ignited.

The ups and downs Patty Tavatanakit has witnessed

Back in 2019, Patty Tavatanakit burst into women’s golf with three wins on the Epson Tour. Just two years later, in 2021, she clinched her maiden major at the Chevron Championship (now renamed the ANA Inspiration) in her rookie season. While it seemed like this meteoric rise for Thai sensation would perpetuate longer, that was sadly not the case.

After her breakthrough win, the golf pro suffered a lengthy drought, lasting almost 3 years. During that time, she failed to find victory on any major professional women’s golf circuit, let alone the LPGA Tour. In fact, in 2022 and 2023, the golf pro was only able to find four top-10 finishes.

This was certainly a big fall for Tavatanakit, who flourished early as a pro and even as an amateur, winning titles every year since 2013, including victories at prestigious events like the LA Junior Open and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Having taken such a bad hit, going three years without sniffing victory, how then did the one-time major winner find her way back to the top?

Well, for the 2021 rookie of the year, each disappointment of missed cuts and botched putts only acted as fuel to her fire, pushing her forward with greater perseverance.

Tavatanakit’s close call fueled her competitive fire

Her biggest turning point was the Women’s Scottish Open in August last year, where she grabbed a T6 finish. “I learned a lot from that. Had a lot to reflect on. I feel like I played solid for 65, 67 holes and just didn’t finish great,” she said, talking about the event at Dundonald Links.

“Instead of looking at it the way where it’s detrimental, I learned so much,” she stated, claiming that she focused on the good rather than the bad. “There were 60-something holes that I had a really good result, so instead of focusing on the bad, I just built on that.”

Read more: 2024 Aramco Saudi Ladies International: Prize Money Breakdown and Winner’s Payout

With the dawn of 2024, the 24-year-old bounced back with her back-to-back wins at the Aramco Series on the LET last week and the Honda LPGA Thailand event on the LPGA Tour just minutes ago, beating Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela by one stroke at 21 under, 267.

“I feel like my game is in a good place; I’m just going to take it shot by shot, week by week, and see… I still have a lot of things I want to accomplish, and I feel like that was just the beginning,” the golf pro said last week, and her words could not stand truer!

Read more: 2024 Honda LPGA Thailand: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money, and Major Details