Lydia Ko may not have been able to claim the ANA Inspiration title this morning, but one Kiwi did have a hand in the victory for Thai prodigy Patty Tavatanakit - her coach Grant Waite.
The former Kiwi golf pro has been working with the 21-year-old Tavatanakit for the best part of nine months, and had a big hand in developing her from raw talent into a first-time major championship winner.
Tavatanakit led the major from start to finish, although was pushed right to the end by Ko, who equalled a course record with a breathtaking 10-under final round.
She pulled within two shots of Tavatanakit with five holes to play, but the young Thai star held her composure to secure the victory.
A proud Waite told 1 NEWS that while Ko's remarkable round left him nervous, he was pleased his student was able to hold her off.
"I think it the long run this is the greatest thing that could’ve happened to Patty, for her to win but to have Lydia, who is a legend on the LPGA Tour and such a talented player, get that close to her.
"Lydia is a formidable opponent, she never gives up, she fights to the end.
"It was great to see Lydia play that well and excited for her but obviously excited for Patty."
While it was Tavatanakit's first major victory, Waite believed this was just the beginning, saying she could become a "dominant player".
"I’m not saying that just because she won a tournament, it’s the way she won the tournament.
"It’s reminiscent of what Tiger Woods did when he came on the scene. Now she’s not Tiger Woods, there is no other Tiger Woods, but just in terms of the way she dominated the event.
"She’s [got] potential to be a dominant player out there and performances like this is possible in any given week for her. You’re not going to play at that level every week but it’s possible that any week she can do that again.
"That’s going to be our challenge moving forward is to maintain that and keep looking where she could be better."
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