Thai teenager Chanoknan Angurasaranee, or ‘April’ as she’s better known, started playing golf at the age of 11 because her parents wanted her and her brother to have a family activity to do together.
Inspired by compatriots Ariya Jutanugarn and Atthaya ‘Jeeno’ Thitikul, April always dreamed of competing on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and has now played her way into achieving that goal.
In 2022, April competed in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup on the LET and finished as the top female in the tournament. Later in the year, the 18-year-old went to LET Q-School at La Manga Club and earned status in Category 16.
Leading the 2023 Rookie of The Year race through six events, we caught up with April to find out more about her golfing journey, her dream of playing on the LET, her goals for the season and much more.
Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand
Home Course: Panya Indra Golf Club
Age: 18
Started golf at: 11
Turned pro: 2020
Handicap: Scratch
I was born in April so that’s where my name comes from! My brother was also born in August and he’s called August, so it’s a family thing. My family are everything and have supported me all the way. Some people have different views on how they see a golf career, but I’m very proud of this decision that I’ve made and I’m very thankful for every step of the journey.
I only started playing golf when I was 11. My mum, dad and brother all played, and we wanted a family activity that we could all do together. So that was I how I started! I didn’t actually enjoy golf very much at first. I started enjoying golf a lot more when I was like 13. And that was pretty much when I realised I wanted to be golfer. After that I had very clear goal and path that I really wanted be a professional. I then turned pro when I was 15, so yeah, it was a very fast decision-making process.
My heroes are Lexi and Ariya! I grew up watching Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, but my heroes in women’s golf are definitely Lexi Thompson and Ariya Jutanugarn. When I first started playing Ariya was doing really well so she’s definitely been one of my biggest influences. Ever since she went to World No 1 women’s golf has been a big hit in Thailand. And then obviously with Jeeno’s accomplishments that’s made a lot of impact on women’s golf too. As for Lexi, I would love to play with her. That would be amazing.
Q-School was very stressful. I played in the United States as well at LPGA Q School so it was a lot of golf. But you learn a lot. And I’m just very lucky to have done both Q Schools. It’s a good experience.
My goal this season is to win Rookie of the Year. And the other one is to finish top 30 in the LET Race to Costa Del Sol. So that’s the two goals for this year. I’m enjoying life on the LET very much so far. I’ve told many people that the LET has always been my dream. So getting to be on this Tour now is a dream come true and I’m enjoying every single week that I get to play.
The Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup was amazing. I didn’t expect to finish that high up on the leaderboard. It was an amazing week playing with the girls on the LET and also the men on the Asian Tour. I think it’s a very nice format and I love playing alongside the men. That week I just had so much fun.
I’ve really enjoyed playing in the Aramco Team Series events. I just like that format. It’s new to golf and we definitely have a lot of fun within the teams. It’s always one of the events I look forward to playing. Obviously I really want to play in the major tournaments this year as well, so hopefully I can improve my ranking and look forward to those events too.
Quickfire Q&A
- Who is your hero? Ariya Jutanugarn
- What makes you happiest? My three dogs!
- Best friend in golf? Wenyung Keh
- Favourite food? Anything Thai
- Golfing superstitions? I always carry six tees in my pocket. And I only use golf balls with number one or number four on during tournaments
- Favourite travel destination? Japan
- What is your most treasured possession? Definitely my phone!
- Favourite Course? Siam Country Club Waterside
- Dream fourball? Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Lexi Thompson
