HITTING THE TARGET

Bamboo’s Journey to College Golf

As Thayika Kittiyanaruewat (Bamboo) begins her life in the US, she is driven by the desire to reach her goals in life – in academics and business, and also on the golf course. Playing since the age of 5, she has worked many years to refine her game and develop into an all-around player, and to be confident in any situation that comes her way. All of the hard work has paid off, and she has come a long way. “When I was younger, and in my first competition I had a score of more than 100. It was very exciting and I felt a lot of pressure. From there, every competition I felt better than the one before, as I learned how to manage myself in the competition.”

Growing up in Bangkok, Thailand, Bamboo had the opportunity to complete in many high-level tournaments, with good competition. And she won many tournaments, gaining exposure and building her sports resume. Among her domestic accomplishments were the DG winner in the TGA Junior Golf Rankings for the 2014-15 season. She followed this up with victory at the age 13-14 Optimistic Tourney and the Royal Hill Golf A Class Open titles in 2017. In 2018, she continued to have success, winning the TGA Junior Golf event at Naraihill Golf Resort.

Her biggest accomplishment until now is securing a scholarship to continue to play golf at the US College level, as she entered Alabama State University in 2022. This is the realization of her dream to play and study in the US, and build her game to join the LPGA Tour. At the same time, it will allow her to study at a high level and experience the challenging life of a student-athlete. “I expect to continue improving my golf skills, as well as my academic performance. I want to be number one on our golf team, and join every competition, and represent Alabama State University.” As Bamboo has shown before, she has the mental mindset and ability to overcome these obstacles, always train well, with a strong attitude and a commitment to being excellent.

Asked about who she would like to model her game and style on, her reply shows the level of her ambition – Tiger Woods. “My hero in my journey is Tiger woods.  I like him because he is good at every aspect of golf, and he has so many tools and techniques to help him overcome any challenge.”

Bamboo’s journey is only getting started, and she knows that she has been able to get to where she is now by working hard, and by the support of those around her. Her family has stood by her every step of the way, and she has been able to lean upon the expertise of The Agency College Recruit in finding opportunities to meet and interview with college coaches in the US, and end up in a program that is a great fit for her, and will help her to continue to flourish. “The Agency College Recruit is a very important guide for student-athletes, one that will allow them to attain a positive outcome and make their wishes about college come true. I also want to thank my family, Coach Clark, my swing Coach Pro Moon Ji Eun and my sport psychologist Ms. Hal, who have stood with me every step of the way.”