"I wanted to go to college," said Patty, 18, who has just completed her first year at UCLA. While South Korea remains the dominant Asian nation in women's golf, Thailand has emerged as a clear second, overtaking more traditional golf nation Japan. Patty is one of seven Thai players in the 156-player field at the US Women's Open. Pornanong has been on the LPGA Tour for nearly a decade and did not have any Thai role models to follow. "Lorena Ochoa, she was my idol," Pornanong said of the former number one from Mexico, who won 27 times on the LPGA Tour before retiring eight years ago agaed 28.

Source: Bangkok Post May 31, 2018 22:30 UTC