Jeeno's choice brings great joy and promise to women's game

As a six-year-old, Atthaya "Jeeno" Thitikul faced the biggest decision of her young life — pick either tennis or golf as the sport of her choice.

- CHUAH CHOO CHIANG

For golf's sake, she chose the right one.

Sixteen years on, the Thai has morphed into an LPGA Tour superstar, reinforcing her burgeoning stature in women’s golf by successfully defending her crown at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship last weekend.

The bubbly world No.1 picked up a cool US$4 million (approx 129 million baht) as “shopping” money, rewrote the history books courtesy of her trademark quiet poise, unwavering spirit and workmanlike approach, and provided enough reasons for the LPGA hierarchy to realise there is a pot of gold waiting at the end of the rainbow which reaches the Far East.

It is quite frightening to think that Jeeno is still only 22, and with the world her oyster and a maiden major title next in her sight, there is so much to expect from this mega-talent that LPGA Tour commissioner Craig Kessler must be directing his PR executives to leverage her burgeoning popularity, as well as Japanese stars Miyu Yamashita, twin sisters Chisato and Akie Iwai, Korea’s Kim Sei-Young and China’s Yin Ruoning, who are important cogs to the tour's global ambitions.

Hailing from Ratchaburi, Jeeno speaks with such maturity that her one advice to other dreamy and aspiring golfers is for them to chart their own pathways, rather than emulate her glorious climb to the top of the mountain.