Written by: Anjali Mishra

The glorious runner-up at Saudi international, Thai golfer Atthaya Thitikul, finished 2nd on the leaderboard at 18 under. 

The winner of the LET Race to Costa del Sol this year, Atthaya scored a 66 on the final day, putting her five shots clear of Spain's Carlota Ciganda and England's Alice Hewson, who shared the 36-hole lead. Though Thitikul wished she had won, she was impressed by the 24-year-old New Zealander's will to win.

On the back nine, Thitikul added three more birdies and one bogey to finish at 18-under-par. Whereas, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko fired a final round of 65 to triumph by five shots at the Saudi Ladies International. Ko, who is seventh in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, began the day on 16-under-par and started well with a birdie on the first.

"I learned a lot from her today, Lydia Ko has one of the best short games ever, her putting was brilliant, and every approach shot she played this week, I can definitely learn to get better from her.” Atthaya Thitikul added while praising her competitor Lydia Ko.

While talking about Atthaya Thitikul with 3,264.46 points, she has an insurmountable lead in the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol. As a result, the Thai sensation has clinched the title for the 2021 season, making her the youngest ever winner of the tournament.

“It’s an honour and it’s a really amazing feeling to win the Race to Costa del Sol this year in my rookie season as well, words can’t really describe it,” she added on her victory.