Chanettee Quickly into Top Gear at Honda LPGA Thailand

(Pattaya, February 19, 2026) – Chanettee Wannasaen produced a stunning birdie barrage to earn a share of the opening-day lead in the 19th edition of the Honda LPGA Thailand.

To loud cheers from the galleries surrounding the 18th green at Siam Country Club’s venerable Old Course, the 21-year-old Thai rolled home a putt for her ninth birdie on a day when red numbers, signifying below par scores, dominated the leaderboard.

Despite dropping shots at two of the par-three holes, Chanettee’s seven-under 65 was good enough to join Japan’s Nasa Hataoka atop the standings in the US$1.8 million LPGA Tour showpiece.

With the course set up immaculately and the greens rolling beautifully, no fewer than 35 players in the 72-strong starting line-up bettered 70 while 47 broke par.

One shot off the pace in equal third place on 66 are Koreans Choi Hye-jin and Lee So-mi and Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh, who became a parent for the first time just seven weeks ago.

Among 10 players locked together in joint sixth on 67 are local favourites Ariya Jutanugarn and Jeeno Thitikul and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.

Playing in front of her adoring home fans for the first time as the world number one, Jeeno enjoyed a bogey-free round, even though she was not at her brilliant best.

Indeed, she had to scramble to save par on numerous occasions after wayward approach shots, most notably at the ninth, where she two-putted from 70 feet, and the 17th, where she made a classy up-and-down from a greenside bunker.

Jeeno, who turns 23 on Friday, was satisfied. “It feels great – that’s better than I expected,” said Jeeno, who is seeking to celebrate her birthday week by becoming only the third Thai to win the Honda LPGA Thailand title, following Ariya in 2021 and Patty Tavatanakit in 2024.

While Ariya showed she’s still a force to be reckoned with, amassing eight birdies in her round, including five in a row from the 10th, it’s Chanettee who emerged as the leading Thai, crediting her strong iron play.

Three-under at the turn, she gained further shots at 10, 11, 13 and 15 before three-putting the short 16th to fall one behind Hataoka. However, a crisp approach to the par-five 18th duly set up Chanettee to regain her place at the summit.

The two-time winner on the LPGA Tour said: “Overall, it was pretty good today, especially my approach shots. At the Honda LPGA, it’s always hot weather and always a lot of spectators. To play in my home country is good fun.”

Assessing her round of 65 that included just 26 putts, Hataoka, the world number 16, said: “Today was a good start. My drives and iron shots went pretty well, which is why I was able to make so many birdie chances.

“I’m still working on speed and direction on my short putts and middle putts. I’m trying to get more aggressive.”

Dryburgh set the tone for her round by pitching in from 79 yards for an eagle-three at the 10th, her first hole of the tournament, and raced to five-under through four holes.

Still adapting to being away from her son, she said: “It’s been a big adjustment, but all for the better. It’s been seven weeks now, so it was tough to leave. I’m away for three weeks now. I’m seeing him on FaceTime, but I miss him a lot. It’s been a different off-season obviously, juggling the parent life and kind of new lifestyle. But it’s been great.”

Distinctive in her bucket hat, Korean Lee So-mi was pleased to match Dryburgh’s 66 – an excellent response to missing the cut in last week’s PIF Saudi Ladies International.

“In Saudi I hit some bad shots. So, I’ve been practicing hard since then and I think that’s reflected in how I played today,” said Lee, who teed-off from the 10th hole in the first flight at 7.45 am and proceeded to make six birdies in a blemish-free round.

Angel Yin, bidding to follow in the footsteps of Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Ya-ni and become only the second player to successfully defend the title here, was five-under through 13 but suffered two bogeys on the home stretch to sign for a 69. That was two strokes better than Japan’s Akie Iwai, who she edged out for victory last year.

The 19th edition of Honda LPGA Thailand carries a prize purse of USD 1.8 million and will be played from 19–22 February 2026 at Siam Country Club Old Course in Pattaya, Chonburi.