20-year-old Thai golfer Atthaya Thitikul had a strong season on the LPGA, despite not winning a tournament. She finished with a 69.533 scoring average over 75 rounds, beating out Hyo Joo Kim by less than a 0.1 strokes to win the LPGA’s scoring title. This made Thitikul the first player in the award’s 70-year existence to win without winning a tournament.

Thitikul also had an impressive fifth-place finish at the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday, six shots ahead of Kim, marking her 13th top-10 finish of the season. Despite this, she couldn’t help but reflect on a brief summer slump that included two missed cuts in major events and a withdrawal after an opening 79 at the Women’s Scottish.

“You know what? I had no idea I was going to win the Vare Trophy,” she said with a laugh after locking up the award. “In the middle of the season, I played really bad. I mean, like missed two cuts in major events and then also not playing quite good in the middle of the year. So, I think it’s really meaningful for me when I just bounce back from being uncomfortable during that time.”

Thitikul’s victory in the Vare Trophy marks her second time lifting this award following Ariya Jutanugarn in 2018. The young golfer is now looking forward to continuing her success on the LPGA and working towards even greater achievements in future seasons.