Tour pro swaps golf for Buddhist spiritual retreat

Whilst most of the world’s top golfers are currently in East Lothian, honing their links skills at the Scottish Open ahead of next week’s Open Championship, Sadom Kaewkanjana is doing something rather different.

The Thai pro, who finished in a tie for 11th at St Andrews last summer, has used the Asian Tour’s mid-season break to go on a spiritual retreat.

• LIV Golf’s plans for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

• PGA Tour plotted to fire Greg Norman

Kaewkanjana, the world No.117, has reportedly spent some time in his homeland living as a Buddhist monk and learning how to meditate.

Check out these pics he shared with the Asian Tour’s Twitter account:

Kaewkanjana is widely regarded as one of Thailand’s most exciting young prospects.

A two-time winner on the Asian Tour, the 25-year-old was the circuit’s Order of Merit winner in 2019 and claimed the All Thailand Golf Tour Order of Merit in 2021.

• When and where to watch The Open on TV

• Open prize money revealed for 2023

His victory in the 2022 Singapore Open – where he held off Tom Kim to take the title – earned him a spot in The 150th Open at St Andrews last year.

He made the most of the opportunity, too, closing with a 65 to finish in a tie for 11th.

He has also played in two editions of the US PGA – last year and this year – missing the ct on both occasions.