Atthaya Thitikul is back on the Ladies European Tour and excited to begin her year at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund.
The 19-year-old won the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol and Rookie of the Year titles on the LET which included a runner-up finish at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International.
In 2022, Thitikul completed her first year on the LPGA Tour, clinching the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year title and off the back of her first proper off-season in a couple of seasons, the teenager is feeling refreshed.
“I had a really good off-season,” she said. “I did not really have a break after the LET in 2021 because I had to go through the LPGA Q-Series, and then the first event was in January, so I didn’t really have one.
“But I had a really good off-season this year. It was about three months I got, and I spent time with my family and got to work before this event, started working about a month ago.
“I’ve been working with my coach on what I have to do and what I have to focus on this year more. My coach, he is in Thailand, as well, so it was a pretty good off-season for me.”
Towards the end of last year, Thitikul achieved one of her dreams when she reached the number one spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
She played the following week on the LPGA in Japan after securing that spot and was glad she experienced such a memorable moment in one of her favourite places.
“The week that I came up to the World No. 1, I was in Japan, and the crowd was so big, and they announced it at the microphone,” she remembered.
“It was an exciting moment and a memorable moment for me, as well. The time you get to World No. 1, it’s surreal.
“It’s pretty amazing there in Japan because their fans are really crazy about golf, as well. It was really amazing to be No. 1 in one of my favourite countries, as well.”
As Thitikul concentrated on the LPGA Tour in 2022, she only played in the co-sanctioned events in the summer where she recorded top-10 results at both the Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open.
But the four-time LET winner is excited to be back on the LET this week and at a tournament where she has played well in the past.
She explained: “It’s nice to come here on the LET events. They seem like my home. I’m also always grateful to compete around here again because I know they put everything into women’s golf and they’re trying to elevate the women’s golf more and more.
“My memories from 2021 are me and Lydia Ko on the last round. I think I had a really good final round, but at the same time I couldn’t beat her. She shot like seven-under, and I shot like six-under. Those are incredible memories for me.”
It is a historic week with the prize money for ASLI having undergone a five-fold increase from US$1m to US$5m, which sees parity with the men’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
On the prize fund, Thitikul added: “It’s amazing and it’s crazy that men’s and women’s equal prize money. It’s a good sign for women’s golf to have Aramco come and elevate women’s golf to get better and bigger worldwide. We always have talented golfers coming every year, so I think it’s a good move for all of us.”
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