A lot can happen in 12 months of top-level sport — just ask Ricoh Women’s British Open golf champion Ariya Jutanugarn.
Exactly one year ago the youngster missed the cut at the women’s major, the 10th successive tournament in which she had failed to qualify for the final two rounds. Fast forward to Sunday at Woburn and Ariya’s family and friends were spraying her with sparkling water on the 18th green to celebrate the 20-year-old becoming the first player from Thailand to win a major championship.
“Everything in the past was good for me because I learned from that, especially when I missed 10 cuts in a row,” she told reporters after a closing 72 gave her a 16-under total of 272 and a three-stroke victory.
“I know how to come back, I know how to be patient. Everybody is going to have bad times in their life and I think I have had that already,” added Ariya.
“I’m pretty young, I’m lucky, I have a lot of chances to get better, a lot of time to work.”
Ariya suffered more misfortune in April when she led another major, the ANA Inspiration in California, by two shots and frittered away her opportunity to win with three bogeys in each of the last three holes.
“I’m pretty sure I learned a lot from that because when I feel nervous I now know what to do,” she said. “The last few holes here I tried to be patient and to commit to my shots.”
Since the ANA Inspiration, Ariya has decided to start her pre-shot routine by smiling in order to feel less uptight on the course.
“I really want to try to feel relaxed and I feel like whatever is going to make me happy is to smile,” she explained.
Ariya will now take a break from the game before preparing for next month’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I have played four weeks in a row so I want to rest but I still want to practise because I really want to play good in Rio,” she said.