The recent stop of the LPGA stars was at the Columbia Edgewater Macan Course from Aug 31 to Sep 3. While many eminent names were present in Portland to take on the American greens, it was lesser-known golfers who portrayed a more dominant end. On top of the list is the current title holder, Chanettee Wannasaen, who on Sunday clinched her first LPGA victory. However, not only did she manage to outshine others with a brilliant 26 under par, the Thai rising star also registered a historic round.
Thus, inscribing her name alongside two other young athletes who have managed to achieve a similar feat. Wannasaen is just the third qualifier to win on tour. Canada’s Brooke Henderson was the last Monday qualifier to win, taking the same Portland event in 2015. The other qualifier to finish first was American Laurel Kean, who claimed the State Farm Classic in 2000.
Chanettee Wannasaen’s prolific score on the Portland Classic greens
The young golfer scored a brilliant 9 under 63 after her last round to secure her first ever LPGA Tour victory. The 19-year-old shattered the previous record of 21 under 72. She even became the seventh LPGA champion from Thailand to grab the trophy. The golfer herself mentioned how this season she had missed around 9 cuts already, hence the victory means much more to her post that. She was also quick to add,
“I worked very hard to make it happen and it really happened now.”
Wannasaen
The golfer, though, has not made a place for herself in the top 50 in the LPGA Tour yet. The closest she came to it was being 51st in Thailand in February and 57th at Superstition Mountain in March. Chanettee, who began the day one stroke behind US 54-hole leader Khang, birdied the third and fourth holes, eagled the par-5 fifth and birdied the sixth and seventh to leap into the lead.
Chanettee made five consecutive pars before sinking a 14-foot birdie putt at the par-3 13th and dropping her approach inches from the hole at 14 for a tap-in birdie that stretched her lead to five strokes at 25-under.
The prize money acquired by the new LPGA Tour victor
The win at the Columbia Edgewater in Portland included a bogey free end along with seven birdies and an eagle. But alongside the prestige, the title helped Chanettee in taking home $225,000 prize money.
The total purse at the event was $1.5 million. This is an astonishing amount of money for the golfer to earn post her forgettable run on the greens. This victory is sure to help the young golfing entity in expanding her horizon of gameplay and executing her efforts to the fullest.
The role of Chanettee Wannasaen’s Caddie/Manager
Chanettee Wannasaen’s young caddie, who also holds the position of her manager, played a significant role in her victory. She herself mentioned talking to her always along with gaining a lot of confidence through her support.
Through her Instagram post a few days ago, even prior to her win, the young golfer had expressed her gratitude for her team. While she thanked her fans relentlessly, the name she added with the most conviction was her manager and current caddie, Porani Chutichai.
She thanked her caddie for her ever supportive presence along with valuable suggestions. In response, even her caddie answered with her own special note. She praised the golfer for being extremely hard-working along with putting in a great amount of work. The post also highlighted how finally their efforts have come to light through this victory, though they were never any less prior to it as well.
Appreciation from the senior players
While a lot of the experienced players did not do too well on the Portland greens, Megan Khang was not among the mentioned lot. Her position at the 6th spot gained enormous praise for the golfer, especially looking at her previous two weeks. Despite her own amazing gameplay, the 25-year-old was all praises for the teenage victor of the tournament.
She praised her presence of mind and display of confidence on the challenging field. She also applauded the young gofer for having splendid control over her game and adopting the quality of playing in a rather professional manner. At last, she was appreciative of the beauty of a game she got to witness through the 19-year-old.
Alongside Khang, several other older members of the LPGA Tour grabbed the opportunity of congratulating and applauding the young lad for her maiden win.
