Asian Tour: Thailand teenage sensation Ratchanon Chantananuwat takes early share of lead at inaugural Asian Mixed Cup
- The US$750,000 tournament marks the first time the Asian Tour have staged a mixed event with the Ladies European Tour
- Thai teenager ‘TK’ made an eagle and three birdies on the front and four birdies on the homeward half
Thailand’s Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat started this week by saying he was short of practice because he was busy with his studies, but that certainly did not show today as the irrepressible 15-year-old amateur star shot a nine-under-par 63 to take a share of the lead in the inaugural Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup.
His magical round was matched by Finland’s Sanna Nuutinen, a member of the Ladies European Tour (LET), on the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club, while Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai and Hung Chien-yao from Taiwan carded 65s.
The US$750,000 tournament marks the first time the Asian Tour has staged a mixed event, as it is being jointly sanctioned with the LET.
Ratchanon has now shot two 63s in his last three rounds on the Asian Tour, the first one coming in the third round of the International Series Thailand at Black Mountain Golf Club last month.
“The one thing I have seen with these two 63s is I am not expecting anything,” said the Thai.
“At Black Mountain I birdied 18 to just make the cut, and then I shot nine under with zero expectations. The last three weeks since Black Mountain I have not been playing very much, I have been doing a lot of schoolwork.