BLAKE: Why it is worth seeing Ariya this week

Ariya Jutanugarn during the 2017 ISPS Handa Women & # 39; s Australian Open at Royal Adelaide.

Five reasons why it is worth this week to see the world No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn in The Grange (or, if not, to agree with ABC television) …

RAW POWER

Ariya Jutanugarn has not transported a driver lately (although she was the season opener of the LPGA Tour in Florida). In general she is of the opinion that she does not need a driver because her three wood is a deadly weapon. Minjee Lee, the Australian, called it "a rocket", recognizing that her best battle is over with a driver. And Lee is not short of the tee.

The world number 1 last year was only 15th in driving distance on tour 266 yards (243 meters) but that's because she was hitting three woods. If she lets her Callaway rider go to Adelaide, look out. Practicing at the Lake Nona resort in January, she rode a par-four with it. The hole measured 359 yards (328 meters).

THAT SMILE

Jutanugarn never received the memo that told professional athletes that they should be deadly serious. She always smiles and waves to people. Even clapping and congratulating her opponents, forbidding heaven.

On Shoal Creek in the US Women & # 39; s Open last year, when she reached a playoff with the Korean Hyo Joo Kim, the Korean pushed a 10-meter putt and the camera's caught Jutanugarn and applauded with the rest of the crowd. Several commentators were critical that they could be so generous in a direct struggle.

But Jutanugarn is always like that, as she recently explained to Golf.com: "I normally do that," she said. "If you see a good photo, it's just a good shot, there's nothing you can do about it, I just have to do my best, I'm racing everyone, because if I win the tournament, I do not want to win because another player did not play well, I want to win a tournament if she plays well and I play well. "

BEST OF THE BEST

Jutanugarn from Thailand is only 23, but she has won two majors, the Women & # 39; s British Open and the US Women & # 39; s Open. She was scaled to number 1 for the first time in 2017. Last year she regained her mantle.

She won three tournaments in 2018 and with a series of other strong finishes she was the LPGA Tour player of the year for the second time, after having won that title in 2016 when she won five tournaments.

Last year she saw 71 percent of the greens in the regulation and averaged only 28.6 putts per round.

Coached by Gary Gilchrist, she is a & # 39; feel & # 39; player who does not like to complicate matters or allows too many swing thoughts to enter her head. She is not a fabricated player by any imagination.

SISTER ACT

In order to reach number 1 of the world, Ariya Jutanugarn first had to fight a member of her own family. Her older sister Moriya or & # 39; Mo & # 39; is a LPGA Tour professional herself and won her first victory in Los Angeles last year.

The couple is inseparable and grew up as Thailand's representative in junior golf.

INSPIRING THAILAND

Jutanugarn said she wants to win to inspire young golfers in her native Thailand, where previously the most famous professional players were Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, male players. She was the very first Thai winner of an LPGA tournament (in 2016) and the very first Thai to win a golf major.