Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand became a winner in her fifth professional tournament since leaving UCLA.
The 19-year-old Tavatanakit closed with a 7-under-par 64 to win the Donald Ross Classic on the Symetra Tour by three strokes on the Donald Ross Course at French Lick Resort https://www.frenchlick.com/golf/donaldross in French Lick, Ind.
Tavatanakit’s victory came a week after she shot 11-under par 61 with the help of three eagles in the final round to tie for 15th while playing in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic on a sponsor’s exemption.
“I feel like I’m living a dream, just to play golf and not think about anything else,” said Tavatanakit, who was two strokes behind entering the final round in French Lick but took control by making five birdies in the first 11 holes. “My mental game has got a lot stronger and knowing there is more golf ahead gives me the vibe to stay calm, that the rest will take care of itself. I’m happy to win and the hard work is paying off.
“When I was deciding to turn pro, I told myself to just commit. So far, so good and I have no regrets. I like my job and love this sport more every day. I like the feeling of getting something when you have to work hard for it. I’ll be doing this for a long time and am glad to have finally made the decision to turn pro, stick to it. That is what helped me play so solid lately.”
Tavatanakit, who lives in Sherman Oaks and won seven times at UCLA including the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s East Lansing Regional, posted a score of 66-70-64—200, 13-under, while Ssu-Chi Cheng of Taiwan was second at 68-66-69—203, while Perrine Delacour of France was third at 74-67-63—204.
Esther Lee of Los Alamitos shot 71-67-67—205 to tie for fourth with Min Seo Kwak of South Korea, who totaled 70-72-63—205, Michelle Piyapattra, who finished at 70-68-67—205, and Yujeong Son of South Korea at 66-69-70—205.
Kyung Kim of USC was eighth at 70-65-71—206, followed by Dewi Weber of the Netherlands at 67-69-71—207 and Madison Pressel at 74-67-67—208.
For complete results, visit https://www.symetratour.com/leaderboard
