Thai golfer Sadom Kaewkanjana is no household name, but if he continues to contend at the British Open at Royal Portrush, he could become the sort of sports story they make movies about.
Kaewkanjana hit the ground running in Northern Ireland, going 3-under on the front nine at Portrush to put himself on the first page of the leaderboard as the early wave gave way to the late groupings.
It’s not uncommon for relative unknowns to make some early noise at The Open. That’s especially for players who primarily play in Europe and Asia and are more comfortable with and used to playing links courses. More than likely, Kaewkanjana won’t be near the top of the board by the time the tournament reaches it conclusion, as evidenced by his 200-1 odds to win the tournament before they teed it up in Northern Ireland.
The 27-Year-Old Buddhist Monk In Early Contention at British Open
Good luck finding a better story, though. Kaewkanjana isn’t just a golfer. He’s also an ordained Buddhist monk, who actually took some time away from the season in 2023 to return to Thailand so he could become a monk.
While he had pure, earnest and honest reasons for entering monkhood, the process might have actually helped the 27-year-old’s game.
“I was ordained because I wanted to return the greatest merit and repay my parents,” he said in 2023, per GolfDigest.com. “I was cut off from the rest of the world when I was ordained. That made me feel more calm. I was able t concentrate more, which will help me improve my game of golf.”
Kaewkanjana Has Had Plenty of Golfing Success in his Career
As good as the story it is, and as unique as his background might be, don’t let it distract you from the fact that he’s one of the best golfers in the world. He entered the week ranked 262nd in the OWGR world rankings, and he has had some success the British Open in the past. By far his best (and only other) major performance came at the 2022 Open at St. Andrews where he finished tied for 11th. He missed getting a return invite by one stroke.
He most recently played the 2023 PGA Championship where he missed the cut. He also failed to reach the weekend at the PGA in 2022.
Kaewkanjana got into the 2025 Open Championship by winning the Kolon Korea Open in May. He has three wins on the Asian Tour where he won Rookie of the Year in 2019.
In addition to that, Kaewkanjana also was one of the group of golfers who played during the inaugural LIV season. One of the highlights of that short run was when LIV brought a tournament to Bangkok.
“Because LIV Golf players are the best players in the world, it is a learning opportunity for the younger generation or the national team player or the amateur players who want to be pro to come to the venue and learn how the top professionals are playing,” he said in 2022. “It’s also giving the opportunity to the whole region because we host in Thailand, but the other players from nearby countries also have a chance to travel to Thailand and learn and experience LIV.”
If he can keep things together this weekend in Northern Ireland, Kaewkanjana will make quite an impact on the Thai golf world himself.
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