A nine-time winner on the LPGA, the power player leads the tour in earnings, top 10s, scoring average, eagles, birdies and rounds in the 60s. There are two putting categories on the LPGA and she’s ranked first in both.
At Shoal Creek, Jutanugarn became the 52nd player in LPGA history to own at least two major titles. That she won two different majors – the U.S. Women’s Open and Ricoh Women’s British Open – makes her even more of an elitist.
The chemistry that goes onto making a champion is a complicated formula involving physical talent, technical skill and, perhaps most mysteriously, mental and emotional balance. Kathy Whitworth, Mickey Wright and Annika Sorenstam are not only among the most-skilled players of all time, they are also among the mentally toughest and most emotionally resilient. It’s not an easy formula to synthesize.
Ariya Jutanugarn and Lexi Thompson, two of the top contenders at this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, come into Kemper Lakes Golf Club dragging a string of successes behind them, but they also bear the scars of some painful heartbreaks. Yet both seem to have learned from the past, which is the key element in merging the mental with the physical in golf.