Volvik staff player Thidapa Sunawannapura won the Hero Women’s Indian Open on the Ladies European Tour Nov. 30 by three shots at the Delhi Golf Club with a new prototype Volvik golf ball.
Her victory is the first win for the new hybrid white/color golf ball that will be released Jan. 22 at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.
The 21-year-old from Bangkok opened with a 66 to share the lead after the first round and held the lead the rest of the event for a wire- to-wire win that ended with a 68 in the final round.
It was the second year in a row that a player using a Volvik golf ball has won the Hero’s Women India Open. Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum and fellow Volvik staff player won this event three times before Sunawannapura in 2008, 2009 and 2012. Since 2012, players using Volvik’s ultra high-performance color golf balls have earned over $5 million on the LPGA Tour, Web.com Tour, Ladies European Tour and Symetra Tour with seven victories and 57 Top 10 finishes.
“I’m very happy. I never thought I was going to win this tournament,” said Sunawannapura, whose only other professional victory was the Vidalia Tour Championship on the Symetra Tour in 2012.”This is like the biggest tournament that I’ve won and it’s a part of my dream.”
Sunawannapura earned $137,554 on the LPGA Tour in 2013 and recently switched to Volvik golf balls. Nine Volvik staff players finished in the Top 100 on the LPGA money list: #17 Chella Choi (Orange Vista), #23 Pornanong Phatlum (Pink Vista) , #24 Ilhee Lee (Yellow Vista), #45 Meena Lee (Yellow Vista),# 65 Jee Young Lee (Orange Vista), #73 Suwannapura (Pink Vista), #77 Lindsey Wright (Orange Vista), #91 Jeong Jang (Pink ) and #92 Mi Hyang Lee (Pink).
“My dad told me this morning, if I could win this tournament, he would be very proud. I will go back to Thailand and hang out with my dad and mum,” said Sunawannapura. “Today I was concentrating on my game all day and was not looking at anyone else. I didn’t see them at all. All my mind was concentrating on golf. I played my game and tried to make it good, play my best. I knew that I was leading but I didn’t know by how much.”
The Ladies European Tour now moves to the United Arab Emirates for the final tournament of the 2013 season, the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, taking place this week in Dubai at the Emirates Golf Club December 4-7.
About Volvik
Volvik is the #1 Color Golf Ball On Tour, with Volvik color golf balls earning four victories, 18 Top 5 finishes, 31 Top 10 finishes and 70 Top 25 finishes on the 2013 LPGA, Web.com, LET and Symetra Tours.
Volvik has experienced more colors (5) and number of color golf balls in play on the world’s professional tours than any other manufacturer in the history of golf. In 2013 on the LPGA Tour, Volvik had 195 total instances of professionals using their Vista golf balls in tournament play (77 Orange, 71 Yellow, 43 Pink and 3 Green).
Volvik is dedicated to the production of specialized 3- and 4-piece multi-layer golf balls that feature 37 worldwide patents. In over 30 years of golf ball production, Volvik has developed a reputation based on highly innovative development, quickly becoming one of the most significant and trusted golf ball manufacturers in the world.
Contact:
Jon Claffey
National Director/Sales and Marketing
Volvik USA INC.
Email: jclaffey@volvik.com
Office: 407-649-0013
Fax: 407-649-0015
Website: www.volvik.com
Twitter: @volvikUSA
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VolvikUsa
