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Ariya Jutanugarn – Is She Headed for a 3rd Win in Michigan?

By Elizabeth Bethel

ANN ARBOR, MI - MAY 28: Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand reacts to her tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the LPGA Volvik Championship on May 28, 2016 at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - MAY 28: Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand reacts to her tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the LPGA Volvik Championship on May 28, 2016 at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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Ariya Jutanugarn is poised to collect her 3rd consecutive win at the LPGA Volvik Championship!

Ariya Jutanugarn is just about as hot as they come right now. That’s no surprise if you’ve been following this young Thai player’s career unfold and the oddsmakers are all over her too!

In 2011 Ariya Jutanugarn was a teen-aged dynamo and already a player to watch. She captured three impressive amateur victories – the U.S. Girls’ Junior, the AJGA Rolex Girls, and the Junior PGA Championship. She didn’t even blink as she shifted to pro venues, capturing low amateur honors at the Kraft Nabisco Championship by tying for 25th place, and claiming her first top-10 pro venue finish at the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Jutanugarn’s romp through the amateur circuit continued in 2012. She notched victories at the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Amateur Public Links, AJGA Rolex Girls Junior, Junior PGA, Canadian Women’s Amateur and Polo Golf Junior Classic and again recorded respectable – even impressive – finishes at 3 LPGA events, the Sime Darby (9th), Honda LPGA Thailand (12th), and Kraft Nabisco (22nd).

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When Ariya Jutanugarn turned pro at the end of 2012 she was 2nd in the world amateur rankings, right behind Lydia Ko. She was 17 years old and she faced the same problem that Lexi Thompson had faced. The LPGA Tour wouldn’t let her in. She wasn’t deterred. Jutanugarn easily qualified for the Ladies European Tour and opened her rookie year with a T2 at the RACV Ladies Masters. She notched her first win as a pro at the Lalla Meryem Cup.

Disaster struck Ariya Jutanugarn at the 2013 Wegmans LPGA Championship. She was fooling around with her sister Moriya during a practice round – they were squirting water on each other. Is there anything more fun than squirting water on your sister while she tries to play golf? Ariya slipped on the grass, fell, and injured her shoulder. It’s a crucial joint for anybody – for a golfer, it’s beyond crucial. The injury was profound, required surgery, extensive rehab. Ariya Jutanugarn’s golf career got put on the shelf for a year.

With her rehab completed Ariya Jutanugarn played her rookie year on the LPGA Tour in 2015. It was a year to get her game back. She started in 29 events, made 17 cuts, recorded 4 top-10 finishes and banked close to half a million dollars in winnings. She was just warming up.

With 2016 victories at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic and the Kingsmill Championship and 3 additional top-10 finishes this year, including a solo 4th at the ANA Inspiration, Ariya Jutanugarn has clearly found her A game. As we’ve seen, she may get a little wild off the tee from time-to-time but she uses that prodigious power very effectively to get right back into position.

Next: Women's Golf: 10 to Watch

Ariya Jutanugarn is going into the final round of the LPGA Volvik Championship today with a 1 shot lead over Jessica Korda and Christina Kim. They’re going to press her hard, but I wouldn’t bet against the amazing Thai player. She’s poised to collect her 3rd consecutive win in Michigan. It’s going to be fun to watch her go after it! Jutanugarn is the face of the future in women’s golf.

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