Thailand’s hottest young golf prospect Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat may be a textbook example for any aspiring golfer, but he is also adept with the textbooks himself, as the 16-year-old just received the news he smashed his GCSE exams with (almost) straight As.

TK told Golf Digest Middle East in July about the hard work with life on tour and his studies — and he seems to have the perfect balance as he seeks to gain access to a top college in the United States as he looks to further his career.

He got news of his exam results as he was finishing off his final round at the Asian Tour’s International Series St Andrews Bay Championship in Scotland, where he finished T45.

“School is good,” said TK, who last year became the youngest winner on the Asian Tour when he claimed the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup by two shots over PGA Tour star Tom Kim of Korea.

“I just got my grades, A star in English, A in maths, so I’ll take that, you know. Like I’d hoped for an A star in math, but you can’t get everything you want. It should be good enough to get into any college alongside of good golf, but I still got a couple more subjects, so it seems like it’s a never-ending process. I did chemistry, physics and economics, now there are other subjects and I just want to get everything over with so I can finally be a full-time golfer.”

He actually received results in five subjects, with the only B he got surprisingly coming in Physical Education.

Now TK will have plenty of options where to continue his studies and golf career, with top-tier golf and academic universities on his radar.

He said: “I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve finalised a couple of deals with a couple of schools, and I just need to make up my mind as to where I want to go and commit to that place.”

While he’s not scheduled to graduate high school for another two years, he is fortunate enough that the universities he is considering are offering to start his college career earlier than that.

Regarding just how early he said: “It depends on the school. I graduate in 2025, by age I should start in September of 2025, but for one college I would start in September of 2024 and the rest I would start in January of 2024. That would be two years early, one year earlier has always been the plan all along, but some schools have even gone further than that and offered me two years early.”

The post TK hitting aces on the course and at school appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat has been making waves in the world of golf over the past year after winning the Asian Tour’s Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup last April to become the youngest golfer ever to win on one of the world’s major tours at the age of 15 years and 37 days.

The Thai amateur, now 16, has gone on to feature in International Series events, the PIF Saudi International and also play on the LIV Golf Series — all while balancing his school studies.

TK was competing at the Amateur Championship at Hillside Golf Club in England while taking time to take to Golf Digest Middle East.

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It has been a very busy and hectic time trying to get the balance right between school and ‘work’, but I usually just focus on the task in hand. If I have a golf tournament, I focus on that, I put all my attention toward golf for the moment. With my international travel, regarding my schoolwork, I do a lot of work online and work with tutors on phone calls so I can catch up with all the work, which can happen from any country before I return home to school.

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Honestly, finding time to relax doesn’t really exist at the moment. The only time I am not golfing or studying I am usually in the car. Let’s say, if I get a rare moment at home to relax, I am usually just listening to music or watching TV series. Sometimes I like to watch a bit of football and chat with my friends when I can. When I am actually physically in school, sure I am studying, but I am with my friends, having fun, so that is relaxing for me. 

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I have some pretty ambitious career goals as I want to win a major Grand Slam and become world No. 1, these are my all-time goals. In the nearer future, I aim to get to amateur world No. 1 — while I am still an amateur — break into the top 200 in the world, get my second Asian Tour title, and win one of the amateur majors — like the one I am playing in right now — and get into one of the majors.

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The experience I have gained playing alongside some of the top professionals on the Asian Tour, the International Series and on LIV Golf has been vital. I think the Saudi International was especially life-changing the two years I got to play there, and the International Series, where I also got to play alongside so many world No. 1s and major champions. The stuff they have passed on to me at LIV has been life-changing, too. Playing with the pros has also made me more mature. You spend weeks around these determined adults and it changes how you see things. Some of the pros like Phil [Mickelson] and Cam Smith have been inspirational. 

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The International Series has been a great introduction for me as I have learnt golf in Europe and Asia are almost a different sports: the climate, the grass, the way you play and plan the course. It rained here in England for a couple of hours this morning but I missed it. I got lucky with the British weather! I think it is great that the Asian Tour has expanded to these new destinations and I am super-excited to get to Scotland [Fairmont St Andrews for the International Series St Andrews Bay Championship in August]. I 100 per cent want to play in as many places as possible as, if you want to play pro, it is super important to help you learn new shots and see things differently, and it is great to get that exposure early on. 

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When it comes to my favourite place to play, that is a tough one. I love Singapore as the three courses I have played — Laguna, Sentosa and Tanamera — have all been amazing, but I love to play in the States because they have some stunning courses and the weather can be not as hot as in Asia … I am done with the heat! If I was to pick a favourite course it might be [LIV Golf destination] Centurion Club, because it is just perfect.

The post Journey: Schoolboy wonderkid TK takes in all in his stride appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.