Atthaya Thitikul: Player Profile

Who is Atthaya Thitikul?

Atthaya Thitikul is one of the young stars of women’s golf, having broken records and won plenty despite having only been born in 2003.

Born in Ratchaburi, Thailand in February 2003, Thitikul chose the game of golf at the age of 7, and almost instantly became a success story. At the age of just 14, she broke an all-time record, becoming the youngest player to ever win a professional tour event. She did so at the Ladies European Thailand Championship, making it even better by winning on home soil.

It would be another three years before she would actually turn professional, with Gold Medals at the Southeast Asian Games and the Youth Olympics coming in that timeframe. She also claimed another LET win before turning pro, and has gone on to win four times on the tour in total. She won Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and the Order of Merit in the 2021 season on the LET.

A year later, she also claimed the Rookie of the Year award on the LPGA Tour, thanks to winning twice – at the JTBC Classic and the Walmart-NW Arkansas Championship. She then reached World No 1 in October of that year, becoming just the fifth player in history to sit at the summit of the world rankings in both the amateur and professional games. 

Atthaya Thitikul | An Overview

Personal Information

Name: Atthaya Thitikul
Born: February 20, 2003
Nationality: Thailand
Residence: Ratchaburi, Thailand

Career

Turned Pro: 2020
Professional Wins: 14
Highest World Ranking: 1 – October 31, 2022

Best Results In Majors

Best Finishes:
– Chevron Championship – T4 (2023)
– Women’s PGA Championship – 4th (2022)
– US Women’s Open – T24 (2022)
– Amundi Evian Championship – 5th (2021)
– AIG Women’s Open – T7 (2022)

Professional Wins – 14

2017 (1) – Ladies European Thailand Championship
2019 (1) – Ladies European Thailand Championship
2020 (5) – 3rd Singha-SAT Thai LPGA Championship, 6th Singha-SAT Thai LPGA Championship, 7th Singha-SAT Thai LPGA Championship, 8th Singha-SAT Thai LPGA Championship, Muang Thai Insurance Thailand LPGA Masters
2021 (3) – Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, Phoenix Ladies Classic, VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open
2022 (2) – JTBC Classic, Walmart-NW Arkansas Championship
2023 (2) – Simone Asia Pacific Cup, Simone Asia Pacific Cup Team Championship

Achievements and Awards

Southeast Asian Games Women’s Individual Gold Medal – 2017
Southeast Asian Games Women’s Team Gold Medal – 2017
Youth Olympic Games Mixed Team Gold Medal – 2018
Thai LPGA Tour Order of Merit – 2020
Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year – 2021
Ladies European Tour Player of the Year – 2021
Ladies European Tour Order of Merit Winner – 2021
LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year – 2022
LPGA Vare Trophy – 2023

Atthaya Thitikul | What’s In Her Bag?

Thitikul is a Callaway staffer, playing the Paradym Triple Diamond driver and fairway wood, along with an Apex hybrid. She uses Apex Pro irons, and a trio of Jaws Raw wedges. An Odyssey putter and the Callaway Chrome Soft X ball complete her bag. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Atthaya Thitikul

When and where was Atthaya Thitikul born?

Atthaya Thitikul was born in Ratchaburi, Thailand in February 2003. She first started playing golf at the age of 7, after choosing the sport over tennis. 

When did Atthaya Thitikul turn professional?

Atthaya Thitikul turned professional in 2020, having already won a number of amateur and professional titles, including a pair of wins on the Ladies European Tour. 

How many LPGA Tour titles has Atthaya Thitikul won?

As of March 2024, Atthaya Thitikul is a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour. She won both the JTBC Classic and the Walmart NW-Arkansas Championship in 2022. Thitikul also has four wins on the Ladies European Tour among 14 professional victories worldwide.

Did you Know?

Youngest Ever Professional Winner

14 years, 4 months, 19 days old.

That is the age that Thitikul was when she claimed her maiden professional victory (bearing in mind she was still an amateur at this point). The victory came at the Ladies European Thailand Championship, where she broke Brooke Henderson’s previous record. 

Astonishing Amateur Career

Unsurprisingly, Thitikul showed her promise early, and her amateur career was on fire. She won 22 amateur competitions, including the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific and the World Junior Girls Championship, taking victory at the latter on two occasions. 

Winning for Thailand

Thitikul’s career has also featured several victories when representing her native Thailand, including Gold Medals at the Southeast Asian Games and Youth Olympics. In the professional game, she played for her country for the first time at the 2023 International Crown alongside Patty Tavatanakit, and the Jutanugarn sisters – Ariya and Moriya. The quartet won the competition, with Thitikul winning all five of her matches that week.

LET Triple

2021 saw the Thai golfer secure an incredible feat during her time on the Ladies European Tour. She won the three major awards – Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and Order of Merit Winner – thanks to wins at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open and the VP Swiss Bank Ladies Open, among other performances.

Amateur and Professional World No 1

Thitikul is one of just five golfers to have sat at the summit of the world rankings in both the amateur and professional games. She first did so in the World Amateur Golf Rankings in June 2019, before then achieving the feat in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings in October 2022.

She joined Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Lydia Ko in making it to World No 1 as both an amateur and a professional.

Other Atthaya Thitikul Articles

14-year-old Thitikul becomes youngest ever tour winner

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