NAKHON NAYOK Thailand
The clink of a putter and the applause that followed at the 18th hole cut through a symphony of crickets in the dim light of dusk.
Thai golfer Tipanun Prakasvudhisarn finished her opening round at the World University Games with a 7-over-par 79, blaming wind and long rough for a tough day.
But the 19-year-old was not jarred by her performance. She’s determined to turn pro this time next year, a refrain common to many of the Games’ athletes.
“I know I love this sport,” the sophomore at Kasem Bundit University said. “I will study so hard, practice so hard to get to my dream.”
Tipanun clocks seven hours of practice each day when school is not in session.
“If I practice too little, I know I cannot be a professional,” she said, sitting at Watermill Golf and Gardens, the par-72 course 90 kilometers (60 miles) outside Bangkok where she practices.
