Asian Tour: the Thai teen sensation who is juggling IGCSEs a year early while taking on the region’s best
- Ratchanon Chantananuwat has taken the Tour by storm this season and will compete in its first mixed event this week
- The 15-year-old is also studying for exams in economics and biology in May
Thailand’s Ratchanon Chantananuwat has taken the Asian Tour by storm this season, so much so it is easy to forget he is a 15-year-old amateur with plenty on his plate aside from golf.
The boy known as ‘TK’ will add another string to his bow this week, when he competes in the Asian Tour’s first ever mixed event, the US$750,000 Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup.
And with the Southeastern Asia Games coming up in May there is a lot of golf to be played over the next few months, but there are also economics and biology exams to study for too.
“I got a ton of exams, it’s building up because it’s almost June and I also have the SEA Games coming up. It’s not a big, big tournament, but it’s not just for me any more, this is for the country, and I don’t want to disappoint,” he said.
“I am doing two IGCSE subjects early, biology and economics so that’s also in May two days before I fly so I have to do extra schoolwork and extra golf so it’s probably the hardest time for me to balance the two right now. If I want to win, I need to practice more.”
This week’s mixed tournament tees-off on Thursday at Siam Country Club’s Waterside Course and is being jointly sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour (LET).
“I am very excited, this is definitely something different,” Ratchanon said.