Bangkok--11 Jul--คนรักกอล์ฟ
Western Australian Whitney Hillier arrived at Phoenix Gold Country Club in Pattaya on Monday, ready to compete in the inaugural Ladies European Thailand Championship, which starts on Thursday.
Hillier, who is half-Thai, is joined by her mother, Gai, who was born and raised in Bangkok. Hillier said it will be a special tournament as she speaks Thai and feels at home with the culture, proclaiming that the country's popular massaman curry is her favourite dish.
"This week is absolutely massive for me. When I found out there was a tournament in Thailand, I had to come," said the 26-year-old from Perth.
"It's such an important place for me and my mum is from Thailand. I just feel right at home here. I love the country and I respect the culture. I'm wearing a black ribbon to mourn the King and I have a couple of wrist bands that have been blessed by Buddhas as well. It's a cool religion and the people here are so friendly."
Hillier even has a Thai nickname, 'Pook Pui', which she explains was named after two of her grandfather's favourite Miss Universes. However, she also has a strong connection with England, as her English father, Stirling, emigrated to Australia, where he met her mother. Her English boyfriend, Ben Brewer, currently caddies for LET member Melissa Reid and is the son of her Lincoln-based coach, Stuart Brewer.
"I've been working on my swing and putting with my coach in England before coming here," said Hillier, who enjoyed a strong start to the 2017 season when she finished sixth at the Victorian Open. "My game feels good and I've just got to go and do the job now really."
Although her best finish in five years on tour was third, at the 2013 Slovak Open, she is currently ranked 28th on the Order of Merit and has already qualified for the Ricoh Women's British Open which will be played at Kingsbarns next month.
She feels that she could score well at Phoenix Gold Country Club this week. "It's a typical Thai course with grainy greens and lush fairways and the rough is good too, so it's a matter of placing the ball and making sure that you are in the right spots on the greens," she added.