TAVATANAKIT Patty

General
MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
In 2017 she relocated from Thailand to the United States of America after receiving a scholarship offer from the University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA]. She says she was inspired to move to the United States of America after winning the 2014 Callaway Junior World Championship in San Diego, CA, United States of America. "Since that time, it's always been my goal to come here to play. I came here [as a junior] and saw all the golf courses and how beneficial it is to be here. So starting at age 10, and every year after that, I came here and realised that I wanted to come to America and play college golf and then play on the LPGA Tour. Yeah, it changed everything for me." (thaipbsworld.com, 16 Apr 2021; lpga.com, 30 Jan 2020)

TURNING PROFESSIONAL
She originally planned to turn professional in 2018, but was unable to progress from that year's 2018 LPGA Qualifying Series. One year later she secured her LPGA Tour card for the 2020 season through her performance at the 2019 Symetra Tour. "It was weird timing. Me being at the Qualifying Series [in 2018] taught me to be sure, to be committed, to anything I do in life. I wanted to go back to LA when it was raining and cold. I wish there was a cut, but there wasn't. I had to play eight days. It was the worst two weeks of my life. When you're in college, half the girls are not going to turn pro. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I'm glad I didn't make it [in 2018]. You never know what would happen. I probably would have turned pro right away and forced myself to be committed to this. I need to be down low to realise how golf is important to me and how much it takes to climb back up." (cnn.com, 29 Apr 2021; golfchannel.com, 22 Oct 2019)

DOUBLE ROOKIE SEASON AND FIRST MAJOR TITLE
She entered the 2021 LPGA Tour as a rookie again after the LPGA Tour opted to restrict the player's status during the abbreviated 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and keep the same ranking places for the 2021 season. She then won her first major title at the 2021 ANA Inspiration event in Rancho Mirage, CA, United States of America. "It still hasn't really sunk in yet the fact that I just turned 21 six months ago [speaking in April 2021] and now I'm a major champion in my rookie year. Technically this is my second year on the Tour. Just crazy." (FOX SPORTS Asia Facebook page, 30 Apr 2021; stuff.co.nz, 05 Apr 2021; philstar.com, 05 Jan 2021)

NAME
She was born 'Paphangkorn Tavatanakit' and received the nickname 'Patty' during her time at the University of California, Los Angeles in the United States of America. (uclabruins.com, 10 Oct 2019; dailynews.co.th, 20 Apr 2021)