Speaking to Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat, you’d be hard pressed to believe that he’s still only 15.

Thailand’s golfing wunderkind exudes confidence and maturity that belie his tender years. These traits extend to the golf course where the amateur star has made the world really sit up and take notice of his talent and achievements over the past few months.

Just a few weeks back, crowning a series of impressive finishes on the Asian Tour, TK played his way into the history books by becoming the youngest ever winner of a men’s Official World Golf Ranking event at the Trust Golf Mixed Asian Cup in Pattaya.

“I just want to keep winning! Now that I’m up to that standard, I don’t want to fall back below it,” said TK, who won the joint Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour event by two shots over Korea’s Joohyung Kim.

“But what I need to be aware of is to not put too much pressure on myself,” he cautioned.

The confident young golfer revealed that it was some advice from former World No 3 Paul Casey that helped him win at Siam Country Club.

“I’m hitting the ball higher now by making sure I finish my swing. That was actually advice from Paul Casey when we played together in Singapore. He said that my ball flight was a little bit too low, so when I play links or firm courses in Europe or wherever, it’s going to be pretty hard.

“My iron shots, especially with the long irons – 4, 5, 6 – have never been better,” noted TK.

TK’s winning mentality will serve Team Thailand well in next month’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. Remarkably, this will be the first time that he dons national colours.

“My priority is to be a good member of the Thai team. This is my first event for the national team so, individual or team, a gold medal would be great,” TK enthused.

TK will likely get many more chances to do his nation proud over the next few years, as he is in no rush to turn professional. “Right now, the plan is for me to go to college in the US,” he revealed.

In the meantime, TK is taking it all in his stride and, like any regular teen, has to balance sports with school. He is currently attending the Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok.

“There are only two types of days for me … a school day, and a holiday or weekend. Usually on a school day I’ll go running in the mornings, then it’s classes from 7.30am to 2.40pm, after which I’ll probably go to Thana City and practice.

“The evenings are what changes mostly … it’s either fitness or physiotherapy, or tutoring to catch up on the classes I missed when playing tournaments,” shared TK, adding that he sometimes gets back home as late as 9pm but is in bed by 10pm.

TK names his father, Tara, as the person who has had the most influence on his golfing journey. “I mean my dad does everything. But of course it’s not just him; I’ve had a lot of other good people helping me.”

Known for his accuracy off the tees, TK rather ominously says that he has much to improve on in all areas of his game. “I’m not identifying a specific weakness but I think everything can be improved on a lot.”

With his talent, maturity and drive to get better, it certainly looks like the sky’s the limit for Thailand’s brightest young star.