Chanettee Wannasaen wins Dana Open in Toledo by a single stroke
The 20-year-old Thai is delighted to have won her second LPGA Tour trophy as she prepares to defend last year’s title at the Portland Classic
Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen clinched her second LPGA Tour victory at the Dana Open in Toledo on Sunday, edging out fellow sophomore Haeran Ryu by a single stroke.
Chanettee's final round 67, her fourth consecutive round in the 60s, saw her finish 20-under par with a total of 264. The Chiang Mai native secured her win just two weeks before defending her title at the Portland Classic.
"Last year I won in Portland but could never have imagined winning because I missed the cut in nine events and then won after Monday qualifying,” Chanettee reflected. “But this year, I'm looking for my second trophy. The feeling is very different. In Portland, I felt free; now I'm aiming for my third trophy. I think it’s coming.”
Starting the final round with a three-stroke lead over Ryu, Chanettee maintained a comfortable margin for most of the day, extending it to five strokes after back-to-back birdies on the 7th and 8th holes. However, the competition tightened after the turn. Bogeys on the 10th and 13th holes, despite a birdie on the 12th, allowed Ryu to close the gap with birdies on the 10th, 12th, 14th, and 15th holes.
Tied heading into the 16th hole, a crucial mistake by Ryu on the 16th would ultimately cost her the title. Both players birdied the 17th, and approached the final hole with Chanettee still in the lead.
Off the tee, Ryu hit the fairway while Chanettee found the right fairway bunker. On their approaches, both missed left, with Ryu in the bunker and Chanettee short but out of trouble. From the rough, Chanettee demonstrated her short game prowess, landing within 15 feet. Ryu responded with a superb bunker shot to two feet, ensuring a birdie. Chanettee, needing to make her putt to secure the win, felt the pressure.
“Today, I was really nervous and stressed because I didn’t play well in this tournament last year. Haeran played incredibly well today. On the last putt, my hands were shaking so hard. I just thought, ‘get in, get in, I want a birdie, not a par’,” Chanettee said. “I made it. It was really exciting because on the last putt, my mind was blank, just thinking ‘get in, get in’ After I sank it, the fans screamed, and I realised how much support I had this week.”
With her Dana Open victory, Chanettee has now won the two oldest non-major tournaments on the LPGA Tour. She is the youngest Tour winner this season at 20 years, 3 months and 5 days, and the 14th different winner of the year. Crossing the U$1 million mark in career earnings, she joins the ranks of just seven Thai players with at least two Tour wins.
Chanettee is the third Thai player to secure a win this season, following Patty Tavatanakit’s victory at the Honda LPGA Thailand and Atthaya Thitikul’s triumph at the Dow Championship. She joins Jasmine Suwannapura as the only other Thai player to have won the Dana Open, with Jasmine’s victory coming in 2018.
