Bandon, Oregon | In a game that all revolves around mental resilience and steadfastness, all golfers may have to look at pimhompoo chaisilprungruang as a model. Just call her Pinky. It doesn’t matter if she makes a birdie putt, for par or three puts for bogey, Pinky always has a smile on her face and pep in her step.
“For me, playing golf is already a gift,” said Pinky. ‘Here are [at the U.S. Women’s Amateur] Is another great gift. I am just happy to play golf. “
Pinky is more than just happy, she is really good. She earned the 2025 women’s elite amateur cup for her performance in five top tournaments, including a victory in the southwestern amateur and co-medalistic awards at both the North & South Women’s Amateur and Western’s Western Amateur. The prize earned her an exemption in her first American amateur, where she qualified for competition game after photographing 3-under in Staring-Play qualifying on Monday and Tuesday in Bandon Dunes. On Wednesday she defeated Momo Sugiyama from Australia, 4 and 3, in the round of 64.
But perhaps more than her results, Pinky thought it was enjoying the beautiful site of Bandon Dunes and getting to know her play partners.
“I can talk to them after the round and when I play and just make new friends,” she said. “It’s fun.”
Born and raised in Thailand, Pinky received her nickname from her mother.
“Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang is too long, maybe Pinky is easier,” she explained.
Pinky started golf in 5 years old and immediately fell in love with the game. Last year she registered at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. In the beginning it was difficult to adapt to life in the United States.
“It is a lot of adapting to culture and food,” she said. “I am a very picky eater.”
Although Pinky could no longer eat curry for breakfast if she wanted, she says that her new teammates at Charlotte helped her to adjust. New head coach CC McMahan clearly remembers a journey that the team took to Pinehurst before last year’s autumn season. She says on the first night that they played a Rated-PG version of the party cards against Humanity and were about to switch to the UNO card game. Pinky was against the idea.
“She said:” Wait, but this is so nice. I get to know you all, “McMahan remembered.” It was just funny because everyone wanted to get a competitive game, but she wanted to keep playing the games where we all laugh together. “
“Pinky wants to play well, but she also wants the other people in her group to play well. She gets a lot of joy from the comrade that she gets in her pairs and get to know those players.” – CC McMahan
Pinky tore College Golf as a first-year student and ended the 2024-25 season with two wins and 10 top 10s in 11 starts. She also set the average record of Charlotte Single-Season Stroke at 71.07. She is the first Charlotte 49er to play in the American amateur since Jennifer Rosenberg in 2022.
For someone who is so talented in Golf, Pinky is really unique, McMahan said.
“She really plays golf for the joy of the game,” she said. “You look at some of the greats of our sport like Tiger, he did it for the competition. He wanted to beat everyone. Pinky wants to play well, but she also wants the other people in her group to play well. She gets a lot of joy from the comrading that she gets in her pairs and get to know those players.”
That joy was completely visible at Bandon Dunes. She laughed on Monday with Felisa Sajulga when they played almost each other’s golf balls. On Tuesday, she cheered Lyla Louderbaugh enthusiastically when Louderbugh came out for Eagle at no. 17.
Pinky’s happiness is simply contagious.
“I saw her skip the tee -box yesterday,” said Lindsay Kuhle, head coach of Louderbaugh at the University of Kansas. “You never see that. She is so cute.”
Even when Pinky made mistakes, she didn’t let them come to her. On Tuesday Pinky started her round at no. 10 and made back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17, so she even let herself exist to the cut line. After her bogey at 17, she turned to the scorekeeper, smiled and said, “I made a 5, thank you for being here.”
“It’s surprising, but I just don’t really care,” said Pinky. “I know I made a bogey, but there is nothing that I can do than go further and be positive. Golf is already a gift, so it’s always good.”
After her 1-over par opening nine, Birdy Birdy Nos. 1 and 2 by making long putts. She bogey no. 7 but Birdied nrs. 8 and 9 to play comfortably match. She smiled all the time.
McMahan believes that heaven is the limit for Pinky’s golf game, but Pinky is not sure if she wants to pursue professional wave. For a long time her dream was to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
“I want to get rich,” said Pinky. “I have a friend back in Thailand and the path to the house is not that smooth. I want to repair that.”
But because of her love for Golf, Pinky will not exclude a professional career. McMahan believes that Pinky will be successful, regardless of what she does.
“It doesn’t matter what she focuses on, we hope it is professional wave because she has a great talent and she can have a huge impact on the wave tours of the ladies and beyond,” said McMahan. “But even when she goes to the business world, she becomes a blast.”
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