20-year-old Ataia Thitikul, a golfer from Thailand, has just won the LPGA scoring title at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida. Despite not winning a tournament this season, Thitikul finished with a 75-round average of 69.533 and beat Hyo Joo Kim by less than 0.1 stroke to win the Vare Trophy for the first time in her career.
Thitikul is only the second Thai woman to lift the Vare Trophy, after Aria Jutanugarn in 2018. She also finished fifth at the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday and had a strong season overall, with 13 top-10 finishes. Despite these achievements, Thitikul shared how she struggled with a summer slump that included two MCs in majors and a VD after an opening 79 at the Women’s Scottish Open.
“I had no idea that I would win the Vare Trophy,” she said. “In the middle of the season I played very badly.” However, Thitikul is happy to have overcome this challenge and believes that her performance this season means she is heading in the right direction as a golfer.