World No 2’s only goal this year: To enjoy every round

SINGAPORE — After enjoying a breakthrough season last year, when she became the first South-east Asian golfer to win a major championship after clinching the British Open, current women’s world No 2 Ariya Jutanugarn might be expected to set herself lofty targets for this year.

Instead, the 21-year-old has just one goal on her mind this season: To enjoy every game of golf that she plays.

It may sound unambitious, but Jutanugarn has good reason for setting such a target.

Following a disastrous start to the 2016 season, when she missed 10 consecutive cuts on the LPGA tour, the Thai star underwent training with a psychology coach to refine her mental approach to the game.

It was through those sessions that she discovered that the best way to achieve success is to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the game as it is.

In an email interview with TODAY ahead of next week’s HSBC Women’s Champions tournament at Sentosa Golf Club, Jutanugarn explained: “I learnt many things after going through that tough time (in 2016). But the biggest lesson was that I learnt how to be happy on the course.

“I used to be mad at myself for hitting a bad shot, and I wouldn’t get over it after a few holes, sometimes even after a round. But now, my focus is on what I can control, and I thank myself after hitting good shots.

“So my main goal for this season is to enjoy every round of golf I play. I believe that if I can do that, everything else will come naturally.”

Jutanugarn also emphasised that while becoming the world No 1 was something that she aspires to, overtaking current top-ranked golfer Lydia Ko is not on her radar at the moment.

“Of course, becoming the world No 1 golfer is every athlete’s dream, and it is no different for me,” said Jutanugarn.

“But that is not my aim at the moment. I’m just taking every tournament as it is and looking to find my next win as soon as possible.”

Jutanugarn’s next victory could come as soon as next week, when she heads to Singapore for the HSBC Women’s Champions, which will feature some of the top players in the world, such as Ko, Park Inbee of South Korea and China’s Feng Shanshan, vying for a S$2.13 million prize purse.

However, Jutanugarn is unconcerned about the strong field that will be taking part in the annual competition.

Instead, she admits her biggest concern will be to overcome the new Tanjong course in Sentosa.

“I am very excited to be going to Singapore next week, and the HSBC Women’s Champions is the one tournament I always look forward to,” said Jutanugarn.

“It’s always well organised and lots of fun. In addition, I feel good about my game, and I’m definitely more confident coming into this tournament now than last year. But I will just focus on myself and my own game because the toughest aspect of this tournament is the (Tanjong) course, and it will boil down to how well I can master it.”

THE HSBC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS

Date: Mar 2 (Thursday) – Mar 5 (Sunday)

Venue: Sentosa Golf Club

*For ticketing details, visit https://www.hsbcgolf.com/womens/buy-tickets-online