A week after Arpichaya Yubol flirted with the lead at a major, she carded a round of 59 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
On Friday morning, Yubol began her opening round on the second nine at Seaview’s Bay Course and came to her final hole, the par-5 9th, needing an eagle to match what had been accomplished only once before on tour. LPGA, when Annika Sorenstam shot a 59 in 2001. Yubol sat at 10-under par when she reached the 477-yard, par 5 where the young Thai hit her third shot, a pitch from close to the green, into distance 10 feet from the hole. Yubol moved up two spots from there and closed with a round of 61 to tie the tournament record at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
“I’m thinking a little bit, because like the last two holes I’m already 10-under, right?” Yubol said about the prospect of shooting 59. “I think I can do more, like birdie, birdie.”
Yubol’s exciting first day comes on the heels of a solid performance at the US Women’s Open presented by Ally, where she had a weekend of rounds of 68-69. The second-year member would eventually finish fifth at Lancaster Country Club, where she made her first major league appearance and picked up her first career top 10 on the LPGA Tour.
โI feel like my confidence is coming back from last week at the US Women’s Open. It was the best week of my life and then it makes me more confident for this week,โ Yubol said after her round on Friday. โI’m just talking to [my manager] and it made me more confident and doing good last week made me happy this week. I feel like my happy golf is coming back.”
What is happy golf for Yubol?
After her round on Friday, Yubol attributed a series of conversations with her manager during the week of the US Women’s Open to turning her season around. Yubol said she spends time talking with her manager for two to three hours each major league day, and said her manager has helped her rediscover the inner confidence she’s lacked since missing the cut in seven of nine starts this season. Yubol’s manager reminded her to think more positively, not to play in fear of missing the cut, but to focus on progressing through the weekend and also finishing in the top 10 or even top 5. That’s what Yubol says is her definition. for “happy”. golf.’
“When I’m thinking bad, it clears my mind,” Yubol said of her conversations with her manager. “And he believes in me a lot and tries to talk to me a lot like, ‘I believe in you, so you have to believe in yourself.’
That renewed self-belief propelled Yubol to an opening round of 61 on Friday, which is not only her lowest round on the LPGA Tour but also matches a personal best for the 22-year-old, who said she recorded a round 10- below par once before in her home country of Thailand.