Atthaya made headlines around the world in the same event two years ago when, as an amateur, she beat the pros to win the title and become the youngest ever winner on the Ladies European Tour at the age of 14 years, 4 months and 19 days.

Unable to defend her title 12 months ago due to other commitments, the 16-year-old – she is still an amateur – will return to the coastal resort stronger and better with highlight wins from the 2018 Youth Olympic Games mixed doubles (with Vanchai Luangnitikul) and the 2018 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship.

“I cannot wait to return to the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club again as I have a great memory there,” said Atthaya, who claimed her first title of the season, the Thailand Ladies Amateur Open Golf Championship near Bangkok

Thailand also has the defending champion in Pattaya -– Kanyalak Preedasuttijit succeeded Atthaya by keeping the trophy on home soil last year, claiming a one-stroke victory over South Korean amateur Selin Hyun.

The LET Thailand Championship, the 10th stop of the LET Tour in 2019 and the only one in this region, will be competed in a 72-hole stroke play format over four days, from June 20-23. Only the top 60 players will qualify for the weekend.

Chanya Swangchitr

“Once again, we are glad to welcome leading golfers from around the world and from Thailand to compete in the tournament,” said Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club president Chanya Swangchitr.

“Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club is in high gear to welcome players to a perfect condition course full of challenge,” she added.

The LET Thailand Championship will feature a total of 126 players – 70 from the LET rankings, 40 from the Thai LPGA rankings plus 14 through sponsor invites – and offers total prizemoney of 300,000 Euros (Bt11 million).

Supported by the Sports Authority of Thailand, the National Sports Development Fund, Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club and Wangson Image Company Limited, the Ladies European Thailand Championship is co-sanctioned by Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Thai Ladies Professional Golf Association (Thai LPGA).

Thailand, preparing for their second World Cup after their debut in Canada four years ago, will have three warm-ups –  against France in Orleans on Saturday, away to hosts Belgium on June 1 and finally, against Kontich FC in Leuven, Belgium, on June 4.

The Kingdom have been drawn in World Cup Finals group F alongside top seeds the US, Sweden and Chile.

“The warm-up games especially with France, will serve as a good opportunity to test our tactics,” said national coach and former Thailand player Nungruethai Sathongwien. “France are beyond our level. We will learn from that game and try to fix our weaknesses going into the match with Belgium.”

Thailand’s squad consists of several half-American players, including striker Suchawadee Nildhamrong from California and Kennesaw State Owls’ goalkeeper Tiffany Sornpao, plus several Thai stars, including striker Taneekarn Dangda and captain Sunisa Srangthaisong.

Nungruethai Sathongwien

Despite the huge challenges ahead, Nungruethai’s goal is to take at least a point from each of the three warm-up games to boost team morale ahead of the World Cup.

“The players have improved continually and have gained more and more experience,’ she said. “They have no pressure as they are aware of what they will be up against. Although all the teams in the warm-ups are stronger than teams in our World Cup group, we still hope to take a point from them.”

Team manager Nualphan Lamsam, meanwhile, is warning her players to be careful with their health and ensure they are in peak condition for the World Cup.

    Mkhitaryan’s well-being was a concern for Arsenal due to the dispute between Armenia and final hosts Azerbaijan.

The Premier League club have now decided against Mkhitaryan travelling with the rest of Unai Emery’s squad for next Wednesday’s game.

“We are very disappointed to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad for our UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea,” an Arsenal statement announced on Tuesday.

His death comes eight months after he underwent a lung transplant. An Austrian news report said Lauda — who also had kidney transplants — was hospitalised for dialysis earlier this month in Switzerland.

Walter Klepetko, who performed the lung transplant at Vienna’s general hospital last year, said there was no specific cause of death.

“It was a long process, and the patient reached its end. Niki Lauda fought. He was a great man. But it has been clear for some time that we cannot bring him back to the ‘race track'”, he was quoted by the Austrian news agency APA as saying.

    The family said in a statement that Lauda died peacefully, highlighting his “unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur… his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage.

“A role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed.”

Lauda won the Formula One drivers’ world championship three times, in 1975 and 1977 for Ferrari and in 1984 with McLaren, despite a terrible race crash in 1976.

“Everyone at Ferrari is deeply saddened at the news of the death of our dear friend Niki Lauda,” Ferrari said on its Twitter account as social media exploded with the news of his death.

“Niki will forever be in our hearts and enshrined in our history. #RIPNiki,” his former team McLaren tweeted on their account.

Lauda had been non-executive chairman at Mercedes F1 since 2012 and he was instrumental in bringing in British driver Lewis Hamilton to spark a run of success that has brought five consecutive world drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Lauda was “irreplaceable” and that the team had lost “a guiding light”.

“Forever carried in our hearts, forever immortalised in our history. The motorsport community today mourns the devastating loss of a true legend,” Formula 1 said on Twitter.

  – ‘Very, very special man’ –

Lauda was born as Andreas Nikolaus on February 22, 1949, in Vienna into an upper middle-class family, who did not share his passion for cars.

In 1968, without telling his parents, Lauda won his first race with a Mini Racer he had bought with his grandmother’s help.

During his driving career, Lauda suffered horrific injuries on August 1, 1976 when, having already won five races that season, his vehicle burst into flames on the Nuerburgring in Germany.

He had severe burns to his face and hands, and inhaled toxic fumes which damaged his lungs.

Despite being given the last rites in hospital he made an almost miraculous recovery to race again just six weeks later still bandaged and in intense pain.

He missed only two races that season but was unable to hold off the challenge of Britain’s James Hunt, who went on to claim his only world title.

The rivalry between the two men — which demonstrated the Austrian’s extraordinary courage and fighting spirit — was portrayed in the 2013 film “Rush” by American director Ron Howard.

The next season, in 1977, Lauda went on to win his second Formula One world championship with Ferrari.

Former motorcycling world champion Casey Stoner said on Twitter: “RIP Niki Lauda, a true Icon and Motorsport legend.”

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, describing Lauda as “courageous, chatty, and extremely funny”, added on Twitter: “I am going to miss you being around the @F1 paddock but the legend of Niki Lauda will live on, because you were a very very special man.”

    – One of Austria’s greatest –

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Lauda “fought himself back into life multiple times”.

“With Niki Lauda, Austria loses one of its greatest personalities… He is a role model for courage, discipline and directness,” he said.

Lauda quit Formula One at the end of 1979 to pursue his second passion, civil aviation.

But he came back to the race circuit in 1982, this time with McLaren, and won his last world championship with them in 1984.

Off the racetrack, Lauda — recognised by his trademark red cap hiding scars from his 1976 accident — founded and then sold several airlines with a majority stake of his latest going to Ryanair in 2018.

Tragedy hit in 1991 when a Boeing 767 of his Lauda Air fleet crashed in Thailand on its way from Bangkok to Vienna, killing all 223 people aboard.

In 2008, Lauda married Birgit Wetzinger, a former flight attendant, who had donated a kidney after one of his transplants failed.

Besides their twins, a boy and a girl born in 2009, Lauda also had three other sons from previous relationships.

Reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand will defend her title against Alma Juniku of Australia.

ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST will be held in cooperation with Great Sports, Tencent, Hugo Boss, Boxing Cat Brewery, Spring Airlines, and more.

Stamp Fairtex of Thailand is one of the most talented female martial artists in the world today.

Stamp began her ONE Championship run as a participant in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series. She competed in mixed martial arts and won her first professional bout by knockout in just 19 seconds. Leaving a lasting impression with her exceptional striking skills, Stamp was tapped to take part in the prestigious ONE Super Series soon thereafter.

She made her debut at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES in Bangkok where she defeated “Killer Bee” Kai Ting Chuang to capture the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Championship. Last February, Stamp battled American Janet “JT” Todd to become a two-sport World Champion, capturing the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship.

Stamp now returns to action in the first defense of her Muay Thai title against Alma Juniku of Australia.

Set to make his highly-anticipated ONE Championship debut, Asian mixed martial arts veteran Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama of Japan will face Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Malaysia in the co-main event of the evening.

Akiyama is one of the most iconic Asian mixed martial artists in history. A fourth generation Japanese of Korean descent, he began his martial arts career garnering accolades on the amateur level. Some of those prizes include a gold medal at the 2001 Asian Judo Championships for South Korea and a gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games for Japan.

Known as “Sexyama,” he made his mixed martial arts debut in December 2004 and used his world-class judo stylings as his base. That has led to remarkable success, defeating some of the industry’s most respected names including Melvin Manhoef, Alan Belcher, and former IBF Heavyweight Boxing Champion Francois Botha.

Former ONE Welterweight World Title challenger, Thani is one of the most remarkable athletes Malaysia has ever produced. Ever since making his debut as an amateur, the man they call “Alligator” has torn through the competition.

The top contender trains daily at Monarchy MMA in Kuala Lumpur under well-respected Belgian BJJ coach Samir Mrabet, but also regularly travels to the United States to sharpen his skills at the world-famous Team Quest.

2-time SUPERKOMBAT Heavyweight World Champion Tarik Khbabez of Morocco will go head-to-head with Brazilian National Kickboxing Champion Anderson “Braddock” Silva in a ONE Super Series Kickboxing showdown. Both Khbabez and Silva are known for their knockout power and aggressive styles, which promises non-stop action from start to finish.

2-time European Mixed Martial Arts Champion Reinier De Ridder of The Netherlands will look to keep his unblemished professional record intact when he takes on former Aspera FC Middleweight ChampionGilberto “Giba” Galvao of Brazil. De Ridder made his ONE Championship debut last January at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT, defeating Fan Rong by first-round submission. Galvao, meanwhile, was last in the ONE Circle in March of 2018, defeating American middleweight Jake Butler.

Former Top King Muay Thai World Champion and former ONE World Title contender Han Zi Hao of China will make his much-anticipated return to action opposite Scotland’s Andrew “Maddog Fairtex” Miller in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai matchup.

Han previously competed for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title last January at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS, but fell just short of victory to Thai legend Nong-O Gaiyanghadao. He now returns to his homeland of China to jumpstart another run at the World Title.

Miller, on the other hand, is a WKA British Champion who most recently competed in Jakarta at ONE: FOR HONOR, where he defeated Malaysia’s Mohammed Bin Mahmoud by unanimous decision.

Kyokushin Karate Black Belt Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima of Japan will take on South Korea’s“Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il in a featherweight mixed martial arts contest.

The 26-year-old Matsushima is one of the fastest rising martial artists from Japan. Hailing from Kanagawa prefecture located in the Kantō region of Japan, Matsushima has put together a handful of solid performances while competing in local Japanese martial arts promotions Pancrase and Shooto. In his ONE Championship debut last September, Matsushima scored a stunning first-round technical knockout victory over former ONE World Champion Marat Gafurov, announcing his arrival on the global stage of martial arts competition.

Meanwhile, Korean mixed martial arts prospect Kwon has also made waves during his time so far in the promotion. With highlight-reel knockouts of Anthony Engelen and Eric Kelly, Kwon now faces his toughest test to date in Matsushima.

CH7 Muay Thai World Champion Rodlek PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym of Thailand will face the United Kingdom’s Liam “Hitman” Harrison in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai bout. Rodlek is one of Thailand’s fastest-rising Muay Thai stars, while Harrison is an 8-time Muay Thai World Champion and veteran.

Former WMMAA Champion Fan Rong of China is set to perform in front of his countrymen when he takes on Sherif “The Shark” Mohamed of Egypt in a middleweight mixed martial arts contest.

Fan made his ONE Championship debut last January, and is eager to tally his first victory with the promotion. Mohamed is looking to do the same as both warriors lock horns at the center of the ONE Championship ring.

Shanghai Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion “Rock Man” Chen Lei of China makes his highly-anticipated return to the ONE Championship stage when he takes on Dutch-Indonesian top contenderAnthony “The Archangel” Engelen.

Training out of Equilibrium Beijing, Chen has shown incredible potential during his time so far in ONE Championship. This includes an impressive run with four scintillating finishes since his promotional debut in May of 2017.

Engelen, on the other hand, is one of the most talented featherweights in the promotion. The majority of Engelen’s victories have ended in exciting finishes. He will look to return to the winner’s circle with a victory over Chen Lei.

Former IBC Featherweight Champion Victorio “Indra” Senduk of Indonesia battles Phoe “Bushido” Thaw of Myanmar in a featherweight mixed martial arts contest.

South Korea’s “The Big Heart” Yoon Chang Min takes on the Philippines’ Trestle “Jun Minion” Tan. And kicking off the action at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST is Japanese women’s mixed martial arts prospect Itsuki Hirata who faces former Philippine National Muay Thai Silver Medalist Angelie “D’ Explorer” Sabanal.

The 39-year-old former Los Angeles Lakers star made the revelation in his autobiography “Darkness to Light”, which lifts the lid on his battles with drugs and sex addiction.

Odom said he had panicked after being named to the US Olympic team for the 2004 Games in Athens, fearing that he would fail a drugs test.

“The joy of being named to the twelve-man roster quickly turned to anxiety when Olympic officials informed me that I would have to pass a drug test before officially joining the team,” Odom said, according to excerpts of his book published on People.com.

“There was absolutely no way I was going to pass. I’d been smoking weed every day that summer,” he wrote. “Panic set in.”

Odom said he turned to the Internet to come up with a solution.

“We started googling ‘fake penises’ and studied different ways to beat a drug test,” he wrote, before ordering a prosthetic penis online.

Odom said he used urine supplied by his drug-free trainer to pass the test when a doping control officer arrived at his house. The drug-tester watched from a few feet away as Odom produced a fake urine sample.

“He stuck a thermometer in the cup to gauge the temperature … satisfied that the pee was mine, and said ‘Welcome to Team USA,'” Odom writes in the book.

The US basketball team would go on to suffer disappointment at the Olympics, finishing with a bronze medal.

Odom, a member two NBA finals-winning Lakers teams in 2010 and 2011, suffered a life-threatening breakdown in 2015 when he was discovered unconscious at a brothel in Nevada.

He had suffered kidney failure and multiple heart attacks and strokes and was in a coma before later recovering consciousness.

Odom says in the book that he is still struggling with addiction.

“I’m still an addict,” he said. “I still struggle … (But) I will not go into the darkness. Ever again.”

A near-collapse saw Koepka’s record seven-stroke lead reduced to a single shot, but he withstood making four bogeys in a row on the back nine and another at 17 for an unexpectedly narrow triumph.

“This is probably the most satisfied I’ve been with all the majors,” said Koepka. “This one’s definitely at the top of the list of how emotionally and how mentally spent I am.”

Koepka fired a four-over par 74 final round at windy Bethpage Black to finish 72 holes on eight-under 272 and defeat Johnson by two strokes, replacing him as world number one as a result.

“I’m just glad we don’t have any more holes to play,” Koepka said. “That was a stressful round of golf.”

Bogeys by Johnson at 16 and 17 made the difference but Koepka made bogey at the par-3 17th, then escaped sand and weeds off the 18th tee by finding the fairway and green then sinking a six-foot putt for the victory.

“DJ played a hell of a round to come back and to grind it out,” Koepka said. “He did a great job putting pressure on me, making me play some solid golf down the stretch.”

The usually poker-faced Koepka admitted the moment got to him on the final hole, where he fired a fist pump after his winning putt.

“That was the most excited I’ve ever been in my life there on 18,” Koepka said.

Thai hope Jazz Janewattananaond, who was at tied second after round three, stumbled to a 77 on Sunday for a combined score of 2 over-par-282 which placed him at tied 14th. Compatriot Kiradech Aphibarnrat followed five shots behind for a tied 47th.

Koepka, who seeks his third US Open win in a row next month at Pebble Beach, became the first man to own back-to-back titles at two majors simultaneously by capturing the Wanamaker Trophy and the $1.98 million (1.77 million euro) top prize.

“This is unbelievable,” Koepka said. “I don’t know if I even dreamed this. It’s amazing.”

The 29-year-old American became the PGA’s fifth wire-to-wire winner after Hal Sutton in 1983, Ray Floyd in 1982, Jack Nicklaus in 1971 and Bobby Nichols in 1964.

Koepka joined Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back stroke-play winners of the PGA, Woods having done it in 2006-07 as well as 1999-2000.

– DJ’s Runner-up Slam –

Koepka seized a tournament-record lead of seven strokes after 54 holes on 12-under par 198.

No man has led a major by so much so late and lost. But Koepka came close.

Johnson, who shot 69, shrank the margin to four shots at the turn and just one with four holes to play, only for Koepka to outlast his US compatriot.

Johnson, seeking his second major title after the 2016 US Open, was hoping to match the best final-round win comeback in PGA history, John Mahaffey’s seven-shot rally in 1978.

Instead, he completed a career “runner-up” Grand Slam, having placed second at the 2011 British Open, 2015 US Open and last month’s Masters.

“I’m pleased with the way I played. I gave myself a chance,” Johnson said.

“The golf course played extremely difficult. The wind was really blowing. I played really well.”

– Shock back-nine drama –

Koepka made the turn on 12-under, answering an opening bogey with a birdie at the par-5 fourth, while Johnson made birdies at the fourth, sixth and nine holes to reach 8-under, shrinking Koepka’s lead to its lowest since Friday afternoon.

Koepka hit a gap wedge to two feet at the 10th hole and tapped in for birdie while Johnson took a bogey at 11 to stretch Koepka’s margin back to six strokes.

Then came Koepka’s four consecutive bogeys while Johnson birdied the 15th for the fourth day in a row, trimming the margin to a single shot as an electric atmosphere began to build among a vocal New York crowd.

“How could you not know with the DJ chants,” Koepka said. “I heard everything.”

Johnson missed an eight-foot par putt at 16, giving Koepka a two-shot edge, and Johnson went over the green at the par-3 17th on the way to another bogey, boosting Koepka’s margin back to three shots.

“I knew I needed to do something on the last three holes,” Johnson said.

Koepka ended his bogey run by parring 15 and 16, the latter on a tense three-foot putt, but missed a four-foot par putt at the par-3 17th while Johnson closed with a par, setting up the 18th-hole drama.

“The putt on 16 gave me a little bit more confidence coming down the stretch,” he said. “I know I missed one on 17, but I think 16 helped me make 18.”

Koepka became the first player to win his first four majors in less than two years, joined by Woods, Nicklaus and Hogan for winning four in eight starts.

Nadal defeated world number one Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 for a record 34rd Masters, leaving his vanquished foe to label the Spaniard as “the number one favourite for Roland Garros”.

“I am going to be there with time enough, as always,” said 32-year-old Nadal, who wants to capture a 12th trophy in Paris.

“I’m going to repeat my normal routines. For sure I can’t wait to be there and have the feeling, see the stadium, watch all the new great things that Roland Garros is doing,” the 17-time Grand Slam winner said of the rebuilt Philippe Chatrier Centre Court.

“I saw a picture. Looks great. Still open, still not closed. Is a different stadium, but the feeling probably will not be very different.

“This year, I don’t see a big difference. The wind is going to be the same as always. Court is still big.”

His first title this season, and particularly on his favourite clay surface, is a huge boost for the Spaniard.

“Happy to reach that level in the last tournament before a Grand Slam,” said Nadal.

“But, as I said, for me I don’t want to talk about Grand Slams now. I never did in the past. Important title, now’s the moment to keep going.”

Djokovic — winner at the Madrid Open last week — gave an error-strewn display in his 54th meeting with second-ranked Nadal, having spent six hours on court in his previous two matches.

“For me, the most important thing is to feel myself playing well and feel myself healthy, with the energy that I need,” said Nadal.

“If that happens, experience is that I am going to fight for titles sooner or later.”

The 32-year-old had not dropped a set all week before the final taking a 6-0 set from four his five rivals.

“During the last couple of weeks, every day and every week have been better. And here we are finally with this great trophy, an important victory.”

Nadal pulled out of Indian Wells with a knee injury, and had not gotten past the semi-finals in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid.

“After Indian Wells, there have been some tough moments for me in terms of recovering again,” he said.

“I didn’t arrive very well prepared to Monte-Carlo. There have been some low moments for me.

“The first round in Barcelona, that was a disaster.”

– ‘Trying to peak’ –

Nadal had been stunned by Stefanos Tsitsipas, a player 12 years his junior, in the semi-finals in Madrid.

But the Spaniard brushed aside the Greek in the semi-finals in the Italian capital on Friday.

“Yesterday (Saturday against Tsitsipas) was probably was my best match on clay so far this season before today (Sunday), because today I played better than yesterday.”

Nadal overtakes Djokovic at the top of the list for Masters wins — the pair were level at 33 each before Sunday’s final — although the latter still holds a 28-26 career edge.

Djokovic is targetting his fourth Grand Slam in a row after Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open.

The 31-year-old’s only title in Paris was in 2016.

“Nadal, number one favourite, without a doubt, then everyone else,” said the 15-time Grand Slam winner.

“But I think it’s going to be a good tournament. Dominic Thiem is playing some really, really good tennis.

“He can beat anybody really, especially on clay. (Fabio) Fognini also playing great quality tennis. He showed it against Nadal in Monte-Carlo what he’s capable of.

“I mean, on a given day, best-of-five, with one day between matches, I think players will have enough time to really be at their best.

“Everyone is trying to peak for Roland Garros, without a doubt.

“I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a great tournament.”