THE CHEVRON CHAMPIONSHIP

April 17, 2024

Atthaya Thitikul

The Club at Carlton Woods

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, here with Atthaya at The Chevron Championship here in the media center.

Welcome. You're making your 2024 season debut here this week. Just talk about how your game is feeling heading into the first major of the season.

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Yeah, happy to be back. Thank you. Everyone see my face like, welcome back. I know I have been gone for long time as well, like four month.

And my game now, it's trending in a good direction. I mean, I don't know what's going to going on in the course because I haven't play for so long. I think three weeks before I coming here I just got practice.

And it change a lot. I have to change my grip because of injury and also, you know, have a little bit of figuring out my swing.

So we'll see how it's going right there. Obviously for the past three day that I play out there it's pretty good.

Q. That's great to hear. Last time we saw you was CME last year. Talk about what you've been up to in the meantime maybe golf or non-golf related.

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: It's all good. After CME it's like boost my confidence with golf. Sadly had an injury and had a little bit of the break from golf which is kind of good and bad sometime in the same time.

Because I kind of miss golf, and get injured, it's kind of remind me how much I love golf and how much I want to play out there so bad. You know, I know I need a break. When I'm on Tour last year I'm just like, oh, I think my mind need a break. After I do break and then I really want to play golf, really want to hit some balls.

I'm not be able to like hit the ball for two month. And then, you know, it's kind of remind me how much I love golf and also remind me like my mind still want it. I'm still hungry for be able to be here, hungry for the win, hungry for everything still in my career.

Q. You finished tied for fourth last year. Why is this the perfect event for you to come back to?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: I don't know. It's just a (indiscernible.) I say it's kind of warm up, kind of challenging week for warming up for me this year, because, you know, I think first week or first event of the year kind of like we going to struggle a little bit in some time because the feels -- I haven't play golf for a long time.

And also maybe it's good because I do have a house in Dallas, too. Just came from Thailand and stop by my house after like five month and then just drove here. It's pretty nice to start here in Texas.

Q. Can you just talk to us about changing your grip. What went into that? That's a hard change to make.

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Yeah.

Q. You've obviously been playing with the same grip for quite a while.

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Yeah, I think the grip, it's the most important of the swing. The feeling-wise, when you grip it, yeah, I have to change it because to the injury to get the less pressure on my left thumb.

I know it's hard, but I think I have to do it because our health is come first. Yeah, I know it's get like -- like take so much time to get used to it, but obviously it's better now and I hope it's still -- you know, you have to keep working to get used to it more and more as well.

Q. What is it about this golf course that really suits you? Obviously last year had some success here. You tend to play pretty well on hard golf courses. What is it about this golf course?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Really?

Q. I think so.

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Really? I don't think so. (Laughing.) I mean, here, Carlton Woods it's always challenging course for us I guess. The green is so firm and it's bouncing, and also I think this year the wind is kind of less than last year. Hopefully for the week, for the rest of the week as well. (Crossing fingers).

If the wind is kind of like this we'll be fine. If the wind is opposite direction, it should be really hard. I think maybe hole No. 2 and 11 will play so long. You know, it's a major week. Condition was so perfect and then also I mean, you have to -- I think off the tee really important for this course.

Q. Obviously 2024 debut; only a few weeks of practice. What would be a good week in your mind?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: I think it's just like mindset coming here, just like I'm just really happy to be back, just be able to play. That's the most important for me.

And then I couldn't say how thankful I can be able to play in this event, and also, you know, like doesn't take more time from here.

So I think just be here, just be happy, just be enjoy out there. No matter what the result, I take it, because just be able back to play golf.

Q. Different topic. We were about 100 days left until the Paris Olympics.

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Oh, yes.

Q. As of right now you would be representing Thailand in Paris. How much is that on your mind as you start your season this year, and what would it mean for you to represent your country at the Olympics?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: I think Olympics should be like you know, the biggest thing for every athletes, not just golf, but like every players really want to play Olympics.

So representing Thailand again, you know, I think last time I was representing Thailand as like National Team, as the team, this was SEA Games I think when I was 17, when I was in National Team.

So representing Thailand as a pro again means a lot to me, and such an honor to be wearing red, white, and blue, to be able to play there. I think it's such an honor. Hopefully we can do a really good job there in Olympics as well.

Q. So I've seen on your social media that you post with your family and friends often. How has their support helped you through your injury?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Yeah, they support a lot. When I get injury and then not be able to play golf, it just with kind of -- it's kind of sad and it's kind of depress me a little bit, because, you know, just from playing golf every day and it's just stop by like zero.

Yeah, they help me a lot to like maybe it's a good time for you to kind of take your mind off golf and good time for you to relax and then live your life.

Because life Scottie Scheffler last week in Masters, he say golf is something that he do, not everything in his life, which I think is true. It's 100% true. Yeah, we just golfer, like a job, but not our lives.

Without golf it has a lot more to do as a human being out there.

Q. My question was: What have you discovered about yourself during your recovery? Any new hobbies that you like to do now or anything you learned?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: I think I have been work out a lot during my injury time, my break time. Like work out in the morning and work out in the afternoon.

It's really nice to spend my time with my sister, too, younger sister. I think we haven't been together for so long because my sister is like, she has studying every single day as well and then I have to go play golf every day.

Just having time with her, go shopping with her, work out, swimming, a lot of stuff to do, so it was fun.

Q. Starting so young in this sport and you've grown so quickly in the professional golf world, what are some challenges that you play have faced when you were younger that may not seem as challenging now?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: I think to be success really quickly as a young age would be kind of like a pressure to -- for me to face on.

But like I'm kind of thankful and grateful with it, that I (indiscernible) it really young age, because at some point, whether you are on the top of the field or on the top of the world, you will have to feel the pressure a well.

So I'm grateful for it, but it's hard to handle at the same time as well. Having that pressure, having that experience really help me to get to this position.

Q. And you're still very young, still growing. Where do you plan on going from here? What's next for you?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: What's next? Next week no. Next week no. So we have two weeks off and then I think starting in Founders. Hopefully keeping play through normal injury, happy, enjoy and on the LPGA for how many years, ten years. Yeah. (Smiling.)

Q. Recently you also said you went back home. What did you miss when you went back?

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: To Thailand?

Q. Uh-huh.

ATTHAYA THITIKUL: Food. People. Especially food. Been eating a lot of Thai food. Now in my belly like a lot of good Thai food. And people, family, friends. Pretty much that's it.