Who is Ratchanon Chantananuwat? 15-year-old making it big at the PIF Saudi International 

Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who hails from Thailand, is currently in T-6 and is only four strokes behind table topper Abraham Ancer at the PIF Saudi International.

World No. 16 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Chantananuwat displayed some brilliant shot-making over the first two days at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. The 15-year-old is 7-under after 36 holes, carding 4-under on Friday.

The teen has impressed everyone, where even stalwarts like Phil Mickelson, Cam Smith, and Bryson DeChambeau failed to make the cut.

It's not the first time Chantananuwat has shown promise. He has been doing it for quite a while now. Last year he won the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup, making him the youngest winner of the OWGR event. He shot a final round of 65 to beat Tom Kim by two strokes. Kim is an established name in the golfing world and won the Sony Open last month.

Last year, Ratchanon joined LIV Golf and has played on a few tours along with it. In the maiden event of the Saudi-backed circuit, Ratchanon shot 11-over, finishing in tied 38th position. In doing so, he was ahead of the likes of former European Ryder Cup player Bernd Weisberger.

Even LIV CEO Greg Norman was full of praise for the prodigy.

“This is a kid who knows what he wants in life,” Norman told South China Morning Post. “After our call I said to my team, ‘We’ve gotta lock this kid up, we’ve got to get him on board because he’s 15 now, but can you imagine where he will be in 10 years … Oh my god.’ I’m pretty good at spotting talent, and trust me, this kid has got it. If I can give him an opportunity to play golf, I’m going to give it to him.”

Chantananuwat began playing golf seriously after watching another guy get his hands on the trophy. He got upset with himself for not getting one.

"Then my dad had to explain to me how he won, so he got the trophy.” he once said.

His father is also his caddie and helps him as an assistant coach too.

Ratchanon considers Asian Tour legend Thongchai Jaidee his idol. Jaidee has helped the teenager in various aspects of his game since their first meeting in 2019, sometimes even spending five to six hours on the green.

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"I had no expectations" - Ratchanon Chantananuwat reflects on his game at the PIF Saudi International

Ratchanon Chantananuwat sits at T-6 after 36 holes of the PIF Saudi International

As per Ratchanon Chantananuwat, the primary reason behind his impressive result so far at the PIF Saudi International was his lack of expectations. He didn't aim high for the tournament.

"I think one of the reasons I played really well today was, the past two days was I had no expectations and not looking at the leaderboard," Chantananuwat told the press. "Ironically, as soon as I started looking at the leaderboard on 8 and when the cameras came, that’s when I started not being as sharp."

He added that he will try not to get distracted for the remaining two days and will keep his head down.