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).
Inaugural Asian Mixed Cup tees off in Thailand
“I am very excited, this is definitely something different,” Ratchanon said.
“I am going to assume a lot of the ladies here can bomb it! I am not going to overlook the importance of making the cut as there could be 40 girls who make the cut this week and that’s going to be tough.
“If I make the cut, then I am going for the win. There’s a lot of World Ranking points this week so I am going to get as many as I can.”
Making the cut has not been an issue so far for Ratchanon, he has made it through to the weekend in all six events he has played in since the end of last year. He nearly won one of them, The Singapore International, where he placed third.
The teenager has been paired with Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord, a five-time LET winner, and Ursula Wikstrom from Finland for the first two days, and while there’s no doubt he will impress, Ratchanon has been bogged down studying and preparing for exams recently.
“Honestly, I have been up to a lot of schoolwork, so haven’t had as much chance to do some serious practice,” he said.
“Over the weekend and past few days, I have been playing a bit more golf, so I am getting more and more ready. I still need to put in a little more work at the range today, but I should be ready by tomorrow.”
This week’s groundbreaking tournament features 60 Asian Tour players and 60 LET players, along with 24 sponsor invitations, playing for the same prize fund and trophy. The only difference is the women are playing off forward tees.
Competitors will stay on for the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge next week at the same venue. The event will also boast a purse of US$750,000 and be jointly sanctioned by the two Tours.
Each tournament will offer Official World Golf Ranking points, and count towards the Asian Tour Order of Merit and LET’s Race to the Costa del Sol.
