WOMEN'S AMATEUR ASIA-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP

January 31, 2024

Napat Lertsadwattana

Achiraya Sriwong

Nicha Kanpai

Pimpisa Sisutham

Quick Quotes

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Ladies, thank you so much for joining us. It's a pleasure to be here in your home country of Thailand. A question from me to all of you. Your thoughts on the Siam Country Club Waterside course, and do you feel like it's one that suits your game?

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: For me I think the course is pretty pure and very good condition, and it's my first time on the Waterside,Siam Country Club.

I feel like the course itself is really in great condition, so the fairways is very pure and you can hit very solid, and if you can catch the pin, be able to make good putts.

NICHA KANPAI: I feel like right now the course is in very good condition, especially the greens, I feel like. It's very smooth. It's pretty hard, but if you're able to hit it high enough, the ball will stop. (Indiscernible) birdies.

I feel like all the bunkers from the driver it's really challenging because it's usually in our yardage, so we usually need to pay more attention to that.

But I feel like course is makable for low rounds, so I think it will be a challenging week.

ACHIRAYA SRIWONG: The condition of the golf course is more the same, which is very narrow, but needs to pay attention to the hole location and (indiscernible) on every shot.

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: I'm sorry, what was the very again?

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Just your thoughts on the Waterside course and is it one that suits your game?

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: I agree with them that the course is really in nice condition and really good shape, including fairways, rough, or the green.

But I feel like m personally I play really aggressively in my golf game, but this course I feel like you needs to be more conservative because the green and condition is really hard. If you miss in the wrong place you can end up in a really bad place to be.

So just like course management will be the best thing that I would adjust to this course.

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Thank you. Pimpisa, you had a really successful 2023. How has your game developed over the past 12 months?

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: I would like to say that I tried to improve my chipping like a lot more because I'm so bad at chipping. Yeah, I'm trying to chip more and do more of that and make putts as well. I think that helps.

Q. Can you tell us what you know about Atthaya Thitikul who was the first-ever winner off the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific, and also how inspired you were by Eila Galitsky's win last year in Singapore?

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: What was the question?

OLIVIA McMILLAN: What do you do girls know of Atthaya Thitikul, who was the first WAAP champion, and were you inspired by Eila Galitsky winning last year?

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: Yeah, I think so. I mean, when we see Thai players winning big tournament it's like giving more inspiration to us, yeah. (Smiling.)

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Anyone else like to answer?

NICHA KANPAI: I've known Atthaya Thitikul since junior golfers, and I feel like I've seen her grow and grow and that's really inspiring.

Eila Galitsky, she is a very young talented player. We played together in junior championships, also in the national team in the same year, so I feel like it's great to see some young Thai player able to win a world class tournament.

Feel like it's inspiration for us that we're able to do the same thing.

ACHIRAYA SRIWONG: The two ladies (indiscernible), so I will try my best to be like them.

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: So I feel like they inspire me a lot, the Thai ladies winning the big tournaments. So I feel like we could win the tournament as well as they are.

We can keep our like famous like to know like our country.

Q. Just as a follow up, can you share with us if you have plans to turn professional? If so, when you would consider that?

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: So this is my last year playing for University of Georgia. At the end of the May it will be the end of the season, so I would consider turning pro after that.

Right now I have my Epson Tour card to play after my time at University of Georgia. Yeah, I'll pursue my professional golfer career after I play for Georgia.

ACHIRAYA SRIWONG: So I'm just only 15 so I will continue my game as an amateur status. I think I'm going to turn pro at 18 and be on the LPGA.

NICHA KANPAI: I'm currently a sophomore at the University of Maryland, so I'm not turning pro right now. I'm trying to keep studying and enjoying my golf career as an NCAA -- in the University.

So I plan to maybe go for Q-School for LPGA after university, but that will be something to consider after University of Maryland.

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: I'm also a sophomore, UCF, University of Central Florida, so I plan to turn pro after I graduate, which is in two years. Haven't planned about the tour yet, but I will try to gain more experiences playing in the NCAA tournaments, yeah.

Q. All the players, if you win this tournament, what major do you want? Left to right, please.

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: What major do I want? If I win the tournament and I'm allowed to play in some of the major, I would play all of them. I read the term and it's not only the major that I could play if I win the tournament. It's Augusta National as well. So that's really big tournament for amateur golfer as well.

So consider play every tournament that I could for now being as amateur.

ACHIRAYA SRIWONG: If I win the tournament I will participate those tournament and continue my... (indiscernible)

NICHA KANPAI: Given the opportunity to play in all majors, an opportunity to have success for me in majors, I feel like all of them are equally important for me right now, so to be able to join and play in all of them would be great.

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: I would definitely join all of the big tournaments for sure for the experience.

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Nicha, this is your first time competing in the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific. How are you finding the experience so far?

NICHA KANPAI: It's great so far. It's like a dream come true. I always want to play this tournament, especially coming back home from the states. Right now it's really good experience just being in the field, practicing, just getting all the feelings. It's great.

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Napat, I believe this is also your first championship. How have you found the week?

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: I feel like this is not amateur tournaments anymore. I feel like it's like professional tournaments. They treated us really special and I love that. So, yeah.

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Achiraya, you played here in 2022. How do you think the experience of playing the Waterside course before in a championship will help you this week?

ACHIRAYA SRIWONG: I need to practice a lot and need concentrate on my game and need to be -- from last two years I didn't do well about my game plan.

Q. Anyone can answer or all of you can. Is there an advantage playing at home, playing the course again, the weather, the food?

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: What was the question?

Q. I said do you think you have an advantage playing at home, a course that you played before with the weather conditions your familiar with the food, et cetera, all the conditions?

NAPAT LERTSADWATTANA: Yeah, I think it would have a lot of advantage since we all from Thailand, we grew up from this kind of weather. Even though some of us play in the U.S., but I feel like we all used to the weather. We know what to expect.

And all like the food we want to eat or we know what to not eat at least.

And then some of us played this course for the first time, but we know from other players that played this course before, so we can have a chat or have some comment on the course.

I feel like we have a lot of advantage since a lot of Thai players play this course before and they just knows the course.

It's depend on our games as well.

ACHIRAYA SRIWONG: I'm so happy to play at my hometown, home country.

And then the weather and the condition and the food is good, so I'm happy to play at my home.

NICHA KANPAI: I feel great to be back at home. Definitely have a lot of support from family especially. I played this course before so I feel like I know a little bit more. It's been a while, but overall I feel great to be back. The weather though is kind of hot. I've been during the winter in Maryland and it's pretty cold, so a bit of an adjustment. But we will get used to this weather.

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: For me I think the weather and the food is (indiscernible). Because I feel like the hot weather, like we know how to handle it, and for me for the food, we can find like local places when we feel like down or like too hot and get ice cream or maybe like local food, pad Thai, seafood and stuff, yeah.

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Do you have any final questions?

Q. There are two Pimpisas in the list. Are you sisters?

PIMPISA SISUTHAM: No, we have exactly the same first name.

Q. Oh, yeah

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Ladies, you've done very well this morning. Thank you very much for joining us. Good luck in the championship this week.