Chirapat Jao-Javanil

Chirapat "Ja" Jao-Javanil is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Symetra Tour, Thailand LPGA Tour, and LPGA Tour. On 25 May 2012, she became the first women's golfer in University of Oklahoma history to win the NCAA Golf Championship as an individual. She turned professional in May 2014 at age 21.

Family and education

Chirapat is the only daughter of Chiravid and Chanasthorn Jao-Javanil. She graduated high school from Somtawin Witead Suksa Huaymongkhon School. In May 2014, she received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. In December 2015, she married Nat Bhanthumachinda in Bangkok, Thailand.

Amateur career

Chirapat became the first women's golfer in school history to win the NCAA title, shooting a 282 at the NCAA Championships. She also became the first Oklahoma golfer to win three tournament titles in a single season. She has earned two first-team All-American honors, one honorable mention All-American honor, and four All-Big 12 honors. She ranks first in school history with 73.07 career scoring average and recorded four of the six best single-season averages in OU history. She has won an OU-record six tournaments, including the 2012 NCAA individual title and the 2014 Big 12 Championship. She competed in all 44 team events during her career and finished in the top five in 32% of her career collegiate events.
At the end of her junior season, she was ranked No. 6 nationally by Golfstat and No. 7 by Golfweek. She also won the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic by two strokes in October with school-record-tying −7 performance, and won the SunTrust Gator Invitational by five shots in March with school-record 206. She finished in second place at Clover Cup in March and the SMU/Dallas Athletic Club Invitational. Other notable finishes included a tie for third at the Florida State Match-Up Invitational, a tie for fifth at the season-opening Golfweek Conference Challenge, a tie for sixth out of 126 competitors at NCAA Central Regional in Norman with three-round 211, and a team leading tie for 17th place at NCAA Championships with four-round total of 293.
Junior Accomplishments: She had the overall low gross of the TrueVisions International Junior Golf Championships in 2009 and 2010 in Thailand. She also won the team portion of the 2010 Enjoy Jakarta World Junior Golf Championship in Indonesia. In 2009, she finished seventh in the Callaway Junior World Golf Championship in 2009 and was named to the Senior National Team of Thailand. In 2008, she won the DRB-Hicom ASEAN Junior Golf Championship in Malaysia.

Amateur highlights

2008 DRB-Hicom ASEAN Junior Golf Champion
2009 Member of the Senior National Team of Thailand
2009 TrueVisions International Junior Golf Champion
2010 TrueVisions International Junior Golf Champion
2010 Enjoy Jakarta World Junior Golf Team Champion
2012 TrueVisions Player of the Year
2012 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Quarterfinals
2012 U.S. Women's Amateur Round of 64
2013 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Round of 16
Two-time first-team Golfweek/NGCA All-American Honoree
WGCA Honorable Mention All-American Honoree
Four-time All-Big 12 Conference Honoree

Professional highlights

2015 Final Stage LPGA Q School
2016 LPGA Yokohama Classic Monday qualifier

Professional career

2014

Jao-Javanil announced that she had turned professional in May 2014. She signed a sponsorship deal with the Singha Corporation.
In only her second professional event, Chirapat claimed the 2014 Golf Capital of Tennessee Women's Open title following her exceptional performance at Stonehenge Golf Club. Only her first time to play in the Tennessee Women's Open, Jao-Javanil navigated Stonehenge like a seasoned veteran, posting 73-70-71, overall 2-under-par 214—the only player to post a sub-par 54-hole total.
Chirapat made it past first and second stage of LPGA Qualifying school. During the final stage of LPGA qualifying school, she did not earn her LPGA Tour card. With her finish, she earned a full exempt status of the Symetra Tour for 2015.

2015

In the summer of 2015, Jao-Javanil finished runner-up at the Texas Women's Open. She captured the low professional award with a two-round score of 74-70=144, 2-over-par. Jao-Javanil sustained an injury during the middle of the year that resulted in some time off for rehab and recovery.

2016

In the beginning of 2016, Jao-Javanil finished tied for 15th at the first Thai LPGA Tour event of the year. After flying back to the US, she has competed in one Cactus Tour event and finished tied for 2nd with a three-round score of 77-72-70, 3-over par. In early May, Jao-Javanil qualified for the LPGA Yokohama Classic in Prattville, Alabama with a score of 70. This marks the LPGA event that she has played in for her career. Shortly after this event, on May 11, 2016, she took home the title at the Cactus Tour Las Colinas Event in Arizona. Her three-day total for the event was −17 under par and the final round 64 marks her career low. On May 25, 2016, she won her second consecutive Cactus Tour event at Lookout Mountain Golf Club with a three-day total of -6 under par. Her most recent victory came at the Cactus Tour event at Walnut Creek CC where she shot 71-72-67 = 210.

2017

In her season opener, Jao-Javanil finished tied for 12th at the Symetra Tour's Florida's Natural Charity Classic shooting -3 under. In July 2017, she claimed her fifth professional win at the 2017 Texas Women's Open in Dallas, TX. She finished the tournament at -5 under with a one shot victory over defending champion Savannah Vilaubi. The first six holes of her final round included at eagle and 4 birdies.