Patty Tavatanakit wasted no time in making her presence known as a professional. The 19-year-old Thai player won her third title in eight starts on the Symetra Tour, claiming the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge on Sunday in a sudden-death playoff.
The former UCLA star shot a blistering 8-under 62 in the final round to make up a six-shot deficit. Tavatanakit then birdied the first playoff hole to edge Yujeong Son of South Korea.
“Definitely very surreal, I didn’t expect to get this win,” said Tavatanakit. “I just hoped to play well and climb the leaderboard for a bigger check to move up the money list. I wanted to be the first player out here to win three times this year, so I accomplished my goal and hard work really pays off.”
Tavatanakit, who won seven times in two seasons at UCLA, now ranks second on the Symetra Tour money list with $110,487, trailing France’s Perrine Delacour by $3,396. The top 10 players at season’s end earn LPGA cards.
In the past, Tavatanakit’s third victory would’ve secured a Battlefield Promotion to the LPGA. That’s no longer the case.
Tavatanakit plans to compete in the final four events on the Symetra Tour. She turned professional at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston, S.C., where she tied for 34th.
She then put the golf world on a “59 watch” at the Thornberry Creek Classic, carding a final-round 61 while playing on a sponsor exemption.
“It’s hard to get a picture of what I’ve been able to accomplish,” Tavatanakit said. “I set my goals and have lived in the moment really well for the past three months since turning pro. I just focus on what I need to do to be a better player. All I want is to improve every time I step on the course. It’s pretty unreal for how far I have come and what the future holds too.”
