Ariya Jutanugarn

She was born in Bangkok and is the first male or female golfer from Thailand to win a major championship. Jutanugarn has an older sister, Moriya, who is also playing on the LPGA Tour. Their parents, Somboon and Narumon own a professional golf shop near Bangkok at the Rose Garden Golf Course. Jutanugarn qualified for the 2007 Honda LPGA Thailand at age 11, making her the youngest player ever to qualify for an LPGA Tour event.
Won the 2011 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club over Dottie Ardina, 2 and 1. Medalist at the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and advanced to the third round of match play. Quarterfinalist in the 2009 U.S. Girls' Junior and lost in the second round of the 2010 U.S. Girls' Junior. Advanced to the second round of match play in the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur. Became the youngest qualifier in an LPGA Tour event when she earned a place in the 2007 Honda LPGA Thailand at the age of 11. Low amateur at the 2011 Kraft Nabisco and T-8th at the 2011 Honda LPGA.
Runner-up in several events, including the 2011 AJGA Heather Farr, 2011 Scott Robertson Memorial, and 2010 Rolex Girls. Won the 2011 Junior Orange Bowl. Named 2010 AJGA First-Team All-American. Won the 2009 Asia Pacific Junior Golf Championship in Thailand. Enjoys swimming and playing tennis. Ended amateur career in December 2012 and ranked second on the Amateur World Rankings.
Was the medalist at the 2012 LPGA Q-School, giving her full access to the LPGA Tour in 2013.
2013 Notes: She had five top-5 finishes in five LPGA starts in a season shortened by surgery to repair a torn labrum in her right shoulder, suffered when she fell at Locust Hill during a practice round for the Wegmans LPGA Championship. She was 2nd at the 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand. Jutanugarn made a triple bogey on the last hole, missing a 3-foot putt for a double bogey that would have gotten her into a playoff. She led by three strokes going to the final hole and lost by one to Inbee Park. Also had a 3rd at the LOTTE Championship, T-3rd at Jingoish, and T-4th at the Mobile Bay LPGA.
2014 Notes: Despite the surgery on her right shoulder, the pain continued throughout the year. She made eight cuts in 10 starts and was 16th at the Lotte Championship. She earned a full LPGA card for 2015 with a T-3rd finish at Q-School. On the Ladies European Tour had a T-6th at the Handa Ladies European Masters and T-4th at the World Ladies Championship. She was 38th on the Ladies European Tour money list.
2015 Notes: The issues with her shoulder improved, in her first three starts finished 11th at the COATES Golf Championship, T-2nd at the Pure Silk-Bahamas, and 3rd at the Handa Women's Australian Open. In the Bahamas, she lost a playoff to Sei Young Kim, who birdied the first playoff hole. In Australia, she was tied for the lead with Lydia Ko going into the final round before shooting 76 on Sunday. She played in 29 events for the year, making 17 cuts, and finishing 35th on the money list. She had missed 10 cuts in a row before a T-58th at the Cambia Portland Classic in August. Did finish the year T-8th at the Blue Bay LPGA, 5th at the Toto Japan Classic, and T-30th at the CME Group Tour Championship.
2016 Notes: Played in 28 LPGA events, making 27 cuts. Had five wins (Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, Kingsmill Championship presented by JTBC, LPGA Volvik Championship, RICOH Women's British Open & CP Women's Open) and 11 additional top-10 finishes, including a T-2nd at the Marathon Classic. She was the leading money winner on the LPGA with $2,550,947. After finishing T-4th at the CME Group Tour Championship, became the second player to win the Rolex Player of the Year, Race to the CME Globe, and the LPGA Official Money Title in the same season, joining Lydia Ko (2015). Won the Rolex Player of the Year by 20 points over Ko to become the second-youngest winner in the 50-year history of the award, trailing only Ko in 2015. She qualified for the Rio Olympics as a member of Thailand's women's golf team and withdrew after two rounds with a left knee injury.
2017 Notes: Played in 27 events, making 21 cuts. Recorded her second consecutive multi-win season with two victories and eight additional top-10 finishes and was fifth on the money list with $1,549,858. She won the Manulife LPGA Classic in a playoff over In Gee Chun and Lexi Thompson for her first win of the year and moved to No. 1 on the Rolex Rankings. Jutanugarn spent two weeks at No. 1 before So Yeon Ryu surpassed her with a win at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She won the season-ending CME Group Championship by a shot over Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda for her second win of the year. Jutanugarn shot 15-under 273 and won after making a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole, while a few minutes earlier, Thompson missed a 2-foot par putt that would have forced an eventual playoff. She was T-3rd in the Women's Australian Open, four back of winner Ha Na Jang. Was runner-up in the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore, one back of winner Inbee Park. Had her second straight runner-up finish with a T-2nd at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, where she was two shots back of winner Anna Nordqvist. Earned her third runner-up finish of the season at the Lorena Ochoa Match Play, losing in the final to Sei Young Kim, 1 up, in the consolation match.
2018 Notes: Played in 28 LPGA Tour events making 28 cuts with 17 top-ten finishes. She was the most dominant player of the year, winning three times and three runner-up finishes.
Won the Kingsmill Championship beating Nasa Hataoka with a birdie on the second extra hole. She won the U.S. Women's Open for her second major victory. Jutanugarn led by 4 after 54 holes and increased her lead to 7 with 9 holes to play before a collapse that almost cost her the title. Made a triple bogey on 10 then a bogey on 12. After a birdie on 16, she finished bogey-bogey to fall into a tie with Hyo Joo Kim. The pair were tied again after the two-hole aggregate playoff, and Jutanugarn won on the 4th playoff hole (the second in sudden death) with a par from a greenside bunker as Kim made bogey. She also won the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open for her third victory of the year and the 10th of her LPGA career. She shot 13-under 271 to beat Minjee Lee by one stroke.
Was T-2nd at the Bank of America Founders Cup, also T-2nd at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, 2 shots back of winner Danielle Kang. Was second at the Blue Bay LPGA, a shot back of winner Gaby Lopez. Jutanugarn was T-3rd at the Lotte Championship, and in the first major of the year, the ANA Inspiration, Jutanugarn was T-4th and one shot back of the three-woman playoff. When sister Moriya won the Hugel JTBC LA Open, Ariya and Moriya joined Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam as the only sister pair to win on the LPGA Tour. She was a member of Thailand's team in the UL International Crown and was 3-1-0 in the matches, including a singles win over Sung Hyun Park, 2 and 1. Ariya led the LPGA money list with $2,743,949, won the Race to CME, was the Rolex Player of the Year, and won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average.
2019 Notes: Played in 29 LPGA Tour events making 28 cuts. She had 10 top-ten finishes and was 11th on the money list with $1,242,838. Was also 11th on the CME points list.
After such a dominating year started the season by splitting with her caddie Les Luark, who was on Ariya's bag since 2015. Also was the #1 player on the Rolex Rankings but lost that at the HSBC Women's Championship. She was the 54-hole leader but shot 75 on Sunday to finish T-8th. Was T-3rd at the Lotte Championship, shooting a final-round 73 to finish 5 shots back of winner Brooke Henderson. Was T-5th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and then 2nd at Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic a shot back of winner Shanshan Feng. Was T-3rd at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with her sister Moriya as her partner. Was 5th at the Evian Championship and the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open. Ariya had a streak of 56 straight cuts made, but it ended with a missed cut at the Indy Women in Tech Championship.
2020 Notes: Played in 13 LPGA Tour events making ten cuts and three top-ten finishes. Was 32nd on the money list with $368,414 in earnings and was 56th on the CME points list. She didn't have her first top-ten until the end of October and was T-6th at the LPGA Drive On Championship Reynolds Lake Oconee. After that, she tested positive for COVID-19 and didn't play until December. Finished the year T-9th at the U.S. Women's Open and T-10th at the CME Group Tour Championship.
2021 Notes: Played in 23 LPGA Tour events making 20 cuts with seven top-10s and two wins. Was eighth on the money list with $1,260,430 and 6th in CME points. After not winning in almost three years (2018 Kingsmill), she picked up a win in her native country at the Honda LPGA Thailand. Ariya shot a final-round 63 to finish at 22 under par for a one-shot win over Atthaya Thitikul. Trailed by one in the 18th fairway when there was a one-hour rain delay, came back to birdie 18 while Thitikul bogeyed 17. After the victory told the media that she had been struggling with her game and almost quit. Finished 3rd at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play. She lost to Ally Ewing 3 & 2 in the semifinals but was conceded the consolation match by Shanshan Feng. The next week was T-7th at the U.S. Women's Open. Won the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational team event with her sister Moriya by three shots over defending champs Cydney Clanton and Jasmine Suwannapura. The Jutanugarns shot 59 in both four-ball rounds, the only team to break 60 in any round. Was a member of the Thailand women's Olympic team and finished T-43rd. She was fourth at the Trust Golf Women's Scottish Open, four strokes back of winner Ryann O'Toole.
2022 Notes: Was T-5 in the Aramco Team Series-Bangkok on the LET Tour in her home country of Thailand. Best finish on the LPGA Tour was a T-12th at the LOTTE Championship.