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Knowing how to stay calm in the face of adversity is an invaluable asset for anyone who subjects themselves to a round a golf. Sadom Kaewkanjana knows how to do exactly that after briefly abandoning his career as a professional golfer to become a Buddhist monk, and he’s found himself near the top of the leaderboard at The British Open.
Most people who get invested in hobbies tend to gravitate toward activities that help them relax and unwind. There are certainly some golfers who would tell you the sport helps them do exactly that, but there are plenty of others who would have trouble explaining exactly why they’re so committed to the famously frustrating pastime that has a tendency to torture the masochists who can’t help but come back for more punishment.
The mental aspect of golf is arguably just as important as the physical mechanics, as it’s very easy to have your round derailed if you can’t stop yourself from spiraling into a mental abyss stemming from your inability to reset after a bad shot.
There are some strategies you can harness to avoid befalling that fate, and while taking the time to be officially ordained as a Buddhist monk is probably a bit unnecessary, it’s seemingly worked out pretty well for one man who’s found himself near the top of the leaderboard at The British Open.
Meet Sadom Kaewkanjana, the pro golfer from Thailand who put his career on pause to become a Buddhist monk
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If you were intimately familiar with Sadom Kaewkanjana prior to this week, you’re probably a pretty diehard golf fan, as the man who celebrated his 27th birthday earlier this month currently occupies the 257th spot in the Official World Golf rankings with the help of the wins he’s racked up on the Asian Tour.
Kaewkanjana got his first professional victory at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in 2019 and more than held his own in his major debut when he played in The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2022 by finishing in a tie for 11th—the same year he put his career on hold for a couple of weeks and headed to a monastery in Thailand to be officially ordained as a Buddhist monk.
The concept of “upekkha” (or equimanity) is one of the four Brahmaviharas (sublime attitudes) at the core of Buddhist principles. It refers to the ability to maintain an even mind in spite of the challenges you encounter in day-to-day life, and after completing the training, Kaewkanjana reflected on how his golf game stood to benefit from those teachings, saying:
“I was ordained because I wanted to return the greatest merit and repay my parents. During this time of ordination, it was of great value and experience, even though the ordination was a short period of time.
I was cut off from the rest of the world when I was ordained, that made me feel more calm. I was able to concentrate more, which will help me improve my game of golf.”
Kaewkanjana failed to make the cut when he competed at the PGA Championship in 2023, but he earned the right to return to The Open Championship at Royal Portrush with a victory at the Kolon Korean Open earlier this year.
There’s still plenty of golf to be played, but he came hot out of the gate by shooting a 68 in his opening round to end up at -3, which was good enough for a tie for fourth place at the time of this writing.
Not too shabby.