DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Even after a record 10 players from Thailand advanced into the recent L.P.G.A. final qualifying tournament, their coach back home attempted to cushion their expectations.
Virada Nirapathpongporn, a former L.P.G.A. Tour member and N.C.A.A. champion, suggested that each of the young professionals have backup plans for next year should they not earn L.P.G.A. status.
But that caution fell on deaf ears. By the conclusion of the 90-hole tournament, eight Thai players had earned L.P.G.A. membership.
“We worked four years for these five days,” said Benyapa Niphatsophon, 18, who played three extra holes in a three-way playoff for one of the last two full-season L.