Chongqing, China: Natthakritta Vongtaveelap won the Kove.China Sports Lottery Chongqing Women’s Open, ending a winless streak among Thai players dating back nearly three years on the CLPG Tour.
Chongqing, China: Natthakritta Vongtaveelap won the Kove.China Sports Lottery Chongqing Women’s Open by two strokes, ending a winless streak among Thai players dating back nearly three years on the CLPG Tour.
Playing under hot and sunny conditions at KingRun Nanshan Golf Club, the Bangkok native closed with third round score of eight-under 64 to finish on 15-under 201. The victory was worth RMB144,000.
She becomes the first Thai to win a single-sanctioned CLPG Tour event since Kusuma Meechai won the CTBC Ladies Classic in August 2023 at Shanghai Silport Golf Club.
Siri Patchana made it a one-two finish for Thais after shooting a seven-under 65 to finish runner-up. Overnight leader Xu Ying, the defending champion, stayed close until a double-bogey six on the 16th hole to close with a 69 for third place, three shots off the pace. Ren Yijia (66), the CLPG Tour points ranking leader, was fourth a shot further back.
Peng Yanxuan was the top amateur in fifth after closing with a 70. The Chongqing teenager opened with a nine-under 63 on Thursday, but could not build on her record-breaking round, finishing five strokes back.
Natthakritta, who played two seasons on the LPGA Tour before losing her playing card, started her round with a bogey at the 382-yard first to drop three shots back. She then reeled off three consecutive birdies from the second hole, before picking up another stroke at the eighth. After a bogey-five at the 382-yard ninth to make the turn at 34, she turned it on over the back nine with six birdies, including the final two holes.
It was the sixth pro win, and first outside of Thailand, for the 23-year-old.
“This is my first win in China, so I feel very excited. It is my second tournament in China, so I feel grateful that I played so well today. This means that everything I worked so hard on in the past gives me the best result, so I am proud of myself,” said Natthakritta, twice a runner-up at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.
“When I was practicing on the putting green I was feeling like today is my day. I felt a little bit confident. I just played my game, kept it simple.”
Fellow Bangkok native Siri moved up the leaderboard to post her best result in two seasons on the CLPG Tour with a bogey-free final round. The 26-year-old carded seven birdies and was tied for the lead with Natthakritta through 16 holes but could only make par over the final two holes.
“There’s still a lot of room for me to improve and to grow as a player. Today was actually a big step for me. I did a lot better than I expected. I’m going to keep on doing what I’m doing,” said Siri, an alumni of the Grand Canyon University golf programme in Arizona.
“She (Natthakritta) deserves it because she played really well. I played well, but it’s not enough to win.”
Xu, who started the day with a one-shot lead, was in little mood to talk after an errant tee shot on the 16th hole resulted in a lost ball. After going back to the tee box to hit a provisional, she finally got down for a six. Her round, which started with seven consecutive pars, included five birdies, the last two coming on the final holes.
“That’s just how golf is,” lamented the Zhuhai teenager. “I didn’t know the score while I was out on the course.”
Li Menghan, 53rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, closed with a 67 for her best round of the week to finish equal sixth with Thai veteran Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (71).