When a 20-year-old girl entered the LPGA Tour in 2019, not many paid attention. Hundreds join the Tour every single day. Maybe Pajaree Anannarukarn thought the same for her. But today, as she sits inches away from a career breakthrough at the CME Group Tour Championship, those thoughts are nowhere to be seen.

A young girl carrying the flag of an entire nation, Anannarukarn, is a name bound to bring pride to her ethnicity.

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Growing up Thai

Pajaree Anannarukarn, pronounced as ‘Pah-juh-REE Ah-nanna-ROO-karn,’ was born on May 30th, 1999, in Bangkok, Thailand. Her name reflects the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of Thailand. As her name is long, she bears a nickname, like every other Thai.

Loved ones call her Maew, which, yes, means a cat.

Anannarukarn further comes from a family that shares golf as a hobby. Her parents, whose names are not available, and her older sister, Jariya, introduced Annanarukarn to the game of swings and clubs when she was just 8 and a half years old. That was 2008.

A year later, she was participating in elite circuits like the Thailand Golf Association, AJGA, USGA, and IGF Golf Tournaments.

That was also the beginning of her introduction to the global world. Despite being traditionally Thai, her parents sent Annanarukarn to have an international education. That’s why she completed her formal education at The American School of Bangkok in 2017. That gave her the required global experience a future LPGA player would need.

At the time she was trying to make a dent in competitive golf, Thailand was emerging as a rising force in women’s golf. In 2017, she turned pro, taking her talent to newer heights. Back then, names like Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, Thidapa Suwannapura, and Patty Tavatanakit were already famous. They likely shaped Pajaree Annanarukarn’s ambition further.

Pajaree Annanarukarn’s ultimate bloom

Two years after she turned pro, she won her first LPGA title at the ISPS Handa World Invitational. She was the fifth Thai player to lift an LPGA trophy! For her, this was a national moment. After her win, she could not help but thank her parents, especially her dad.

“[My dad has] always been by my side along the way from the very beginning of my career,” Anannarukarn said as per Golf Digest. “And just to be able to share it with him was very, very special.”

That was just the beginning of another Thai phenom in the LPGA Tour. A second title was shown her way in 2023, at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play. Pajaree Annanarukarn defeated Japanese player Ayaka Furue. After that, there was no turning back.

Now, as the 2025 season comes to an end, Parajee Annanarukarn is not a name that is unheard of. Till now, she has accumulated sixteen top-10 career wins, as well as a massive $3.7 M as her official career earnings.

Annanarukarn has now become one of Thailand’s premier female golfers. And judging by her trajectory, that journey is only just beginning.