By Larry Canning
I KNOW opinions are like…. Well you know, but I’m going to offer up a rather large one anyway.
As we speak, I’m sitting in a Melbourne pub sipping on a nice cold beer wondering how I can put into words what I’ve just seen. Terms like, strong action, beautiful golf swing, great ball flight just don’t seem enough to explain this girl’s talent so let me just say, I reckon Ariya Jutanugarn will be one of the greatest golfers this world has ever seen.
Yes that name was Ariya Jutanugarn. It’s actually not that hard to say if you practice it a bit.
I have been reporting on the third round of the Women’s Australian today on Melbourne Radio SEN, so I had to get it right from the start but by the end of the day it was quite easy.
Just like when Severiano Ballesteros first burst onto the scene as a 19 year old and we all had to learn that name, “Ariya Jutanugarn” is now rolling off my tongue like, “schooner of VB thanks”. This 19 year old golfer from Thailand is one of the best strikers of a golf ball I have ever seen – men or women.
Her golf swing is a thing of power and beauty and the flight is something you see just a handful of times in your life. I’d heard of her before and knew there were some big wraps on her game but I wasn’t ready for what I witnessed.
I’d much rather see Katherine Kirk win the Australian Open tomorrow and I don’t care what Ariya shoots but at 7.35 pm on Saturday 21st of February 2015, I’m going to just come out and say, Ariya Jutanugarn is going to be the number one Women’s Golfer within the next 12 months.
That’s what I really love about writing things a lot of people read. You get to offer an opinion and someone will listen…. Sadly tomorrow night I will be home in the NSW Southern Highlands where no one gives a toss about what I say!
[box]Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Kiwi world No.1 Lydia Ko go into the final round of the 2015 Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne on Sunday with a one stroke lead over the field. The pair tee off at 1.25pm, with live ABC TV coverage beginning at 1pm.[/box]