Gulf South Conference Golfer of the Year Supuschaya Srichantamit, called Yui by Lee coaches, teammates, and friends, traveled almost 9,000 miles or 18 hours from Khon Kaen, Thailand to Cleveland, Tennessee to attend college and begin a golfing career for the Lady Flames in the late summer of 2019. "Everything was different from my hometown: people, language, region, and culture. English was my second language, so it was a big problem for me," Yui explained shortly after her arrival. 

Golfing Career Began at 13 

Yui started playing golf when she was 13 years old and really got serious about the sport when she was 14. "It was the first time that I won a tournament," she recalled. "At that time, I was very happy, and I knew I could play this sport and do it better. I wanted to be the best at the sport I picked to play." 

An all-around athlete, Yui chose golf over being a long-distance runner. "Running was the first sport I played before I changed to playing golf and it is still a sport I am interested in until now, and I was also interested in bicycling," she allowed. "Both are sports I usually play when I am free." 

Coming to U.S. and Selecting Lee 

Yui's parents, Chanchai and Wimonnit, helped her decide on coming to the U.S. to attend college and play golf. "I never thought or expected that I would come to the U.S. It was never in my plan. Coming to the U.S. was a plan that my parents had for me before I knew it," she continued. "They planned this since I was in grade 10 of high school and told me about it when I was in grade 12 of high school. They said they would like me to go to the U.S. and pursue a university there. 

"They helped me find the colleges. Lee was the first choice I picked, but we were also looking at other colleges as well. Lee had strong academics and strong sports teams and I believed that Lee would be the best choice to give me a solid foundation for my career and success in academics and a sport in my future, and I am so glad I made the decision to come to Lee." 

Lee director of golf John Maupin heard about Yui from a contact he had in Thailand. "There was a young lady that played golf at Northwestern and was back home in Thailand helping players find new university homes to play golf at and study in the United States.  

"We had recruited a highly ranked player that we missed out on getting, but then the contact passed on Yui's information to us," Maupin noted. "Thank goodness she did. After a Zoom call with Yui and her family, we felt like she would be a good fit. She did not take this opportunity lightly and has worked very hard and endured a lot of adversity." 

Nothing Easy for Yui 

Maupin confessed that Yui came to America as a very good student but had a long way to go with her English. "The first year was a big adjustment and the COVID epidemic hit that spring. Because of the uncertainty and combined with Thailand shutting down, she could not go home like all the other students. Yui stayed in the dorm all spring and throughout the summer basically by herself. 

"Jayne (Maupin's wife) and I took her in like family and she spent plenty of time with us, but I know that it still had to be incredibly challenging. She was struggling to get comfortable with English, even with us the conversations could only go so far. It would end up being over two years before she was able to return home and see her family. I have so much respect for how she managed that so well at such a young age." 

"Of course, (during Yui's first year at Lee) I think this is too much and think to myself I am ready to give up and want to go home," she admitted. "But I know that I could not give up right now and I must fight for my future. I even asked myself "What am I doing here?" and "Why do I have to stay so very far away from my home, do you know? 

"It took a while, but I finally found the answers to those questions. Sometimes, it was hard for me because everything was new, strange, and challenging every day I have been staying here. I struggled through the beginning of my first year both academically and athletically. I always thought everyone has their own duty to be responsible and so do I. Therefore, I will not give up and will take responsibility for my duties and will do my best," she concluded. 

Yui singled out a special person who stepped up and has helped her along the way. "I am very grateful to Dr. JoAnn Higginbotham for everything she has done for me and helped me the most with all the adjustments," she declared. "And with English as my second language it was a big problem for me while. I knew so little about English. Dr. Higginbotham was a really big help to me in improving my English and adjusting here." 

COVID - Another Battle 

Yui admits her first year in the U.S. was not easy, but summer would come soon, and she would be going home to see her family. "For me, it was an awfully hard time. At that time, I was just in my freshman year and of course, I looked forward to going home and seeing my family," she explained as the story unfolded. 

The situation quickly changed! "I was told they would not allow me to go home because COVID had an epidemic in every country, all the flights were canceled, and every country was also closed. Therefore, I could not go home that year. 

"I admit I cried when I called my family, but it was just the first couple of days after I knew I had to stay here for the whole summer," she added. "My parents also gave me a reason I should stay here in America for this whole summer. They did not want me to get COVID while I was traveling back home. So, the best way to keep me in a safe place was to stay here. They know how much I wanted to go home but the situation at that time did not allow me, and it was too risky for traveling." 

The young freshman found ways to stay busy while living alone. "I was living alone in an apartment (Brinsfield Row) on campus. For me, it was not too bad even though I was a little bit bored some days," said Yui as she spoke about the experience. "With my own habit, I am the one who does not like to stay in the room all day. So, I usually found something to do so that I am not too bored, and it was also the way I pulled myself out of sadness. To keep myself from getting stuck in sadness, therefore, I focused on preparing myself to get ready for the next golf season that would be coming soon. 

"I knew that I should do something that benefits myself and prepare to get ready for the next golf season. While I was staying here, Coach John gave me his office key so I could get the golf mat and practice some wedge games on the field in front of his office. This helped me a lot to improve my short and wedge games, which I usually went to practice and spent time around two-to-three hours every morning. Every evening I usually went jogging around campus. 

"Coach John took me to the golf course on the days he was free. We played nine holes together a couple of times and it was very fun. I am very thankful to Coach John and Jayne for what they did and tried to help me through a hard time. What they did helped me a lot. I spent a lot of time with them and played with their kids. They are like my family here. They made my summer better than I thought." 

Teammates, Coaches Like Family 

Said Yui, "Through the past four years I have been playing at Lee, I have very much enjoyed every moment whether on the golf course or outside the golf course. My teammates and my coaches are a big part of my success. I could not have done it without them. 

"For me, the best thing about playing at Lee is having the best teammates and wonderful coaches. They are like my family here. I was very fortunate to be welcomed into the Lee Women's Golf family. I am very thankful that they made my every day a special day and gave me valuable experiences over the past four years. I am thankful that they are always there and made me laugh and be a part of my great memories at Lee." 

Humbled by GSC Honor 

Yui was recently named GSC Golfer of the Year. She averaged 73.09 this season and shot 19 rounds of 75 or better. In Golfstat Division II individual ranking she is listed No.6 in the nation. Some of Yui's other honors include: 2023 All-GSC First Team, 2022 WGCA All-American Scholar, 2022 All-GSC First Team, 2022 GSC All-Tournament, 2022 GSC All-Academic Team and 2022 GSC Honor Roll. 

"I am very honored and humbled to be named GSC Golfer of the Year. I never thought that I would get this honor," said the excited Yui. "Of course, I could not have done it without the hard work and without the support of my family, coaches, and teammates. As I said before, they are a big part of my success. I cannot thank them enough for the support and encouragement that they have given me. It means a lot to me. 

She continued, "The first thing that I have to tell you is that I am so proud of my teammates. We all work hard with dedication, commitment, and effort. In every tournament we went to, we did the best of our abilities. We never give up, no matter what situation we are facing. We stay in the present and play our best on the individual shot in front of us until our very last shot. I believe we would not be able to get to this point without each of them, because everyone is an important part of our team's success and plays a big part in driving our team to this point." 

Teammate Everyone Wishes For 

Lee women's coach Geandra Almeida says, "Yui is so loving, funny, and works extremely hard on and off the golf course. She is also a teammate everyone wishes for. In addition, Yui is a natural leader; she leads by example. She is the first to get to practice and the last one to leave. She barely takes any days off and sometimes I must insist with her that her body needs a break. Besides her impeccable work ethic, it is safe to say that Yui is one of the funniest people you will ever meet. She is also very sincere about her feelings, and if you ask Yui a question or her opinion about something, she you certainly give you an honest answer, and sometimes her honesty can be very funny." 

Ticket to National Championship 

Coach Almeida added, "All parts of Yui's game are very strong. She is a very accurate player from the tee to the green, and her short game is also great," added the coach as she spoke about a shot she will always remember. "I have witnessed several big shots from Yui, but a particular one stands out to me. The one I will never forget happened last year on the very last hole at the NCAA Regional Championship. Yui hit a perfect tee shot in the middle of the fairway, her second shot was a relatively straight forward shot but long and the green was very firm. I helped her to make the club selection and we agreed on a good aiming spot. She hit the ball well but a bit right of the desired target and her ball ended up in the right green bunker. She was visibly upset, because we all knew how important that finishing hole was for our team. 

"Before she started walking to her next shot, I grabbed her attention and said, "Yui you are the best bunker player I know, so listen to me, go to that next shot and be aggressive, hit it close and save that par! You can do it!" Then I had to walk back to help the next player who was coming after Yui, but I kept watching her from the tee, she hits the bunker shot, it looked great from where I was, but I couldn't say how great, but then suddenly everybody who were watching on the green starts to celebrate. I texted one of the parents and asked: "Did Yui just hole out?" and the answer was "Yes!!!" I still remember the feeling; it gave me goosebumps. I knew we had probably secured our ticket to the National Championship." 

Goals Herself, Team in Region. 

"Our goal is to get a ticket to move into the National Championship and we believe that we can do it," said a confident Yui. "Our team is one of the strongest teams in the region. For me, it does not matter whether we will win the region or not, but the important thing is that everyone has fun and enjoys their game. 

"Of course, we will battle some great teams in the region. But we will stay focused and calm the entire time. We will never give up, no matter what situation we are facing. We are going to stay in the present and play our best on the individual shot in front of us until our very last shot. This is what my coach (Geandra Almeida) always reminds us of. 

Plans for the Future 

"I have three plans in my mind," when asked about her future. "The first plan is I will continue in the United States and pursue a master's degree. This is what my parents would like me to do, which I would like to do for them as well. 

My second plan is I may return to Thailand which is my hometown and help my parents with their business and possibly pursue a master's degree at a university in my country. 

The last plan is turning into a professional golfer or a golf coach and keep playing. For me, regardless of which plans I choose in the future, I will not regret it and will do my best. Being a student-athlete at Lee taught me many things and it helped shape me into a strong woman." 

No question Yui misses her mother and father and younger sister and brother, but it might also be the taste of the food that is only prepared at home that she longs for. "Another thing that I miss the most is Thai food. Do you know, the food served at your home is the best food when you are far away from your home because it is what you could not find in any restaurants. Even though there are many Thai restaurants in the U.S., the taste has been adjusted to the American style. Therefore, Thai food here and Thai food in my hometown are quite different tastes. And for me, there is not any food that is better than the food my mom cooks and that is the major missing when I must be far away from my home!" she said in closing.