By: Max Bechtoldt
Jasmine Suwannapura, the 31-year-old LPGA Tour veteran from Thailand, won her third career event on tour at the Northwest Arkansas Championship in a thriller.
In the third round, what would usually be moving day but for this three-day event was the final round, the leaderboard saw major shakeups. That was led by Suwannapura and 21-year-old Lucy Li, who shot 61 and 60 respectively to force their ways into a playoff. Li’s round was fueled by three eagles in the last 11 holes.
On the first playoff hole, Suwannapura nearly holed a putt from long range for an eagle and the win, after both players had fantastic shots into the par 5 18. After matching birdies they went out again, where Suwannapura hit an amazing shot that ended up just about 10 feet from the hole for the eagle and the win. She holed the putt to grab her first individual title since 2018.
In the final round, Suwannapura hit 12/13 fairways in regulation with 17 greens hit as well. When she got on the greens, she converted consistently, hitting 27 putts.
This continues an incredible season for Thailand on the LPGA Tour. While Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko have dominated the season, winning over 1/3 of the tournaments in 2024, Thai golfers have been consistently at the top of leaderboards. Suwannapura is the fifth winner from the country this season, joining Jeeno Thitikul, Patty Tavatanakit, Moriya Jutanugarn and Chanettee Wannasean.
