Ordained monk Sadom Kaewkanjana near top of leaderboard early at The Open
At first glance, Sadom Kaewkanjana appears to be one of those random names that usually appears near the top of the leaderboard early at an Open Championship.
But his story is far from mundane.
The 27-year-old Thai took a hiatus from golf in 2023 to live as a Buddhist monk and practice mediation, saying then, 'I was ordained because I wanted to return the greatest merit and repay my parents.'
'I was cut off from the rest of the world when I was ordained,' he added. 'That made me feel more calm. I was able to concentrate more, which will help me improve my game of golf.'
Kaewkanjana had previously qualified for The Open, competing at St. Andrews in 2022, when he tied for 11th. He qualified for Royal Portrush via his victory in the Kolon Korea Open, a Qualifying Series event on the Asian Tour.
Thursday, he made the turn in 3-under 33, one off the clubhouse lead. Kaewkanjana birdied the par-5 second and made an eagle-2 at the par-4 fifth, hitting his tee shot on the 361-yard hole to 23 feet and making the putt.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to Sports: Time for Dodgers to make some changes
Between Mookie Betts hustling down the first-base line and Freddie Freeman's walk-off hit, Wednesday's Dodger victory over the Twins brought back great memories of last year's World Series. Hopefully this game will be a catalyst for getting the Dodgers out of the funk they have been in. Moving six-time right field Gold Glover Betts back to right (although his defense at short has been fine) would also propel the Dodgers to — as Tommy Lasorda used to say — taste the fruits of victory more often. Ken FeldmanTarzana Bill Plaschke and Dylan Hernández, where are you guys when we really need you? Why aren't you beating the drum loudly and repeatedly for the return of Mookie Betts to right field? Yeah, I know Mookie says it's not a factor in his slump. Would he ever admit that? Of course not. And Dave Roberts agrees … publicly, but I'd bet privately he feels otherwise. It was a lame idea to begin with. Who did they need to make room for out there, the next Ted Willams? And currently they have someone in Miguel Rojas who's probably a better fielder and at the moment even a better hitter. Please get the front office to do what's right before it's too late. Jack WishardLos Angeles I have never seen a bullpen for a pro baseball team that walked as many batters as the current one for the Dodgers. A relief pitcher who can't throw strikes is like a teacher who can't read. Unless this 'Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight' gets replacements and reinforcements soon they may have trouble making the postseason before it is all over, let alone repeating their championship. Alan AbajianAlta Loma Unfortunately, the Dodgers are not impervious to injury issues. The last time I checked, all teams experience injuries. Hopefully the team will deal with the issues rather than finding excuses as to why they're no longer 'baseball's evil empire.' Patrick KelleyLos Angeles My grandmother said she would like to pitch for the Dodgers. I think she will fit right in. Deborah R. IshidaBeverly Hills Just like the Lakers, the Clippers get their own 40-year-old player in Chris Paul. The Clippers always emulate the Lakers minus the results. Wayne MuramatsuCerritos Regarding the Chargers trying to curry favor and regain the loyalty of their old San Diego fans, some advice: If you want to keep your fans, don't ditch your hometown! Jack WolfWestwood As I watched the majesty and uniqueness of 'The Open' golf championship, my thoughts were of the man who saved this masterpiece of golf from becoming irrelevant. In the late 1950's, most PGA pros were starting to skip this tournament because of the relatively low purse and significant travel involved. Interest in this championship was waning. Then, Arnold Palmer came along and changed everything! In 1960, he traveled to the Open and continued to do so every year for many years during the peak period of his popularity,. As a result, 'The Open' maintained its place as one of the four majors of golf and the rest is history. William R. FadoPacific Palisades The WNBA All Stars wearing T-shirts demanding more money has redefined the word delusional. Since its inception, the WNBA has hemorrhaged money and been subsidized by the NBA. But for the fortuity of the Caitlin Clark phenomenon, the league would likely be bankrupt, not adding expansion teams and signing a lucrative new TV deal. Some free advice: Protect your cash cow (Clark), rather than killing it for hamburgers. Mark S. RothPlaya Vista Another 'action packed' WNBA All-Star Game with airballs, unneeded extra steps, inactive officiating, distracted announcers, and no defense. Just like the NBA. David MarshallSanta Monica The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used. Email: sports@
NBC Sports
13 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Thorbjorn Olesen takes the second-round lead in 3M Open
Watch the best shots from the second round of the 2025 3M Open from TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. BLAINE, Minn. — Thorbjorn Olesen worked out of trouble more than once Friday at the TPC Twin Cities to take a one-stroke lead over Jake Knapp into the weekend in the 3M Open. Olesen followed an opening 9-under 62 on Thursday with a 66, hitting out of the rough to set up a 5-foot birdie putt on his final hole - the par-4 ninth. The 35-year-old Danish player also recovered from a double bogey on the par-4 15th with consecutive birdies as he searches for his first PGA Tour victory. 'I think both days, my iron play has been really, really good,' Olesen said. 'I hit a lot of shots really close to the pin and gave myself a lot of good chances. Today, there was like two or three bad drives that costed me, but I still felt pretty good over the ball.' He had a 14-under 128 total. Knapp shot 65. Pierceson Coody (65) was another stroke back with Sam Stevens (68). Stevens closed with a bogey on No. 9. Takumi Kanaya (64), Chris Kirk (67) and Matti Schmid (68) were 11 under. With two weeks left in the regular season, Knapp (55th in the FedEx Cup standings), Schmid (68th) and Kirk (77th) remained in contention for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The top 70 advance to the first playoff event. Olesen is a European tour regular with nine international victories. He missed the cut last week in The Open in Northern Ireland. 'I take every week as it comes,' Olesen said. 'Every week is an opportunity to try and bounce back and do something special.' Knapp remained bogey-free through 36 holes for the first time in his career, starting out with birdies on Nos. 10-12. He seeks his first PGA Tour win of the season after earning the first of his career in the 2024 Mexico Open. 'I feel like it's been ... kind of mistake-free for the most part,' Knapp said. 'I haven't really had to scramble too much.' Knapp had the lowest score on the PGA Tour this year, a 59 at the Cognizant Classic in February. Adam Svensson nearly matched Knapp with a course-record 11-under 60 on Thursday, but dropped 29 spots Friday with a 75. Missing the cut were Byeong Hun An, 67th in the FedEx Cup standings, and Haotong Li, who was in the final pairing with winner Scottie Scheffler in The Open and tied for fourth.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
How many majors will Scheffler win in his career?
Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner discuss Scottie Scheffler's dominant four-shot 153rd Open Championship victory at Royal Portrush, predicting how many majors the father, husband and golfer can win during his playing career.
