Jazz Janewattananond is quickly making a name for himself in global golf. Owner of one of the most pure swings in the game, Janewattananond has moved up into the world top 70 ahead of the 2019 PGA Championship, where he received an invitation from the PGA of America to compete at Bethpage Black.
Of course, American golf fans will draw their eyes to his first name. I mean, it's Jazz. However, that's just a nickname. Jazz's real first name is Atiwit, given to him by his Thai family.
Then there's his last name, which can throw off English speakers pretty easily. There are a lot of syllables said quickly, and most people who speak English don't do that well. However, the pronunciation of his last name isn't that difficult. Phonetically speaking, here's how to pronounce Jazz Janewattananond: Jazz Janna-watta-na-nond. It's actually pretty much pronounced how it sounds.
Janewattananond started going by Jazz as opposed to his given name in 2013, using the nickname given to him by his father, a Thai judge, for his love of jazz music. The pair started hitting golf balls together when he was 8 years old.
The 23-year-old turned pro in 2010 at an extraordinarily young age, but he broke through with his first Asian Tour win in 2017. Since then, he's won in each of the last two years, including in 2019, including the Singapore Open in January. That win got him into the 2019 Open Championship as well, though the Open Qualifying Series. It's the next step in a career that's taken him from the Asian Development Tour to this point.
Get used to the name, this kid is going to be great for years to come, and when he's done tearing up the Asian Tour and makes more regular appearances on the biggest stages in global golf, he's going to become a staple at majors.
