Thai golfers eye sweep of SEAG golds

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine golf team will be needing to cash in not only on the proverbial “homecourt” edge but also on talent, skills plus lots of luck when it launches its gold medal drive in the 30th Southeast Asian Games unveiling on Nov. 30 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

That’s because the country’s perennial regional rival Thailand is fielding a crack squad armed and ready to win not just one but sweep the four gold medals staked in the men’s and women’s individual and team plays from Dec. 4 to 8 at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac.

“We aim to make a clean sweep in the Philippines,” said Thailand Golf Association president Rangsrid Luxitanond.

The Thais won all but one of the gold medals disputed in the 2017 Games in Kuala Lumpur with Singapore foiling their sweep bid with a victory in the men’s team competition.

Luxitanond is backing up his projection by tapping Youth Olympic champions Atthaya Thitikul and Vanchai Luangnitikul as spearheads of the squad that also includes Kan Banbodee and Pimnipa Panthong (women’s) and Denwit Boriboonsub, Nopparat Panichphol and Thanapat Pichaikul.

The 16-year-old Thitikul, who swept both individual and team gold medals in Kuala Lumpur, is a regular campaigner on the local turf, spearheading the Thais’ sweep of the first two SEA vs Philippines series at Pradera Verde. In 2018, she and Luangnitikul captured the gold in the mixed team event in the Youth Olympics in Argentina.

Thitikul’s outstanding resumé also includes a victory in the inaugural Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in 2018. She is the youngest to win a professional tournament at 14 in the Ladies European Tour Thailand Championship in 2017.

“Our players have been training for a long time. And we have picked our best players who have been training together since late last year (except for the US-based players),” added Luxitanond, referring to Pichaikul, who is studying at Mississippi State U, and Panthong, a student at Kent State U. 

But the hosts remain unfazed by the Thais’ threat with LPGA Tour-bound Bianca Pagdanganan, who bested Thitikul by bagging the bronze medal in last year’s Asian Games (with Yuka Saso winning the gold), eyeing no less than the gold before going big-time starting next year.