Sadom Kaewkanjana. Richard Cashin-Imagn Images

A Buddhist monk is surprisingly in contention at the Open Championship

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 12:19 PM ET

At the top of the 2025 Open Championship leaderboard, you'll find household names such as Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton. One name near the top—Sadom Kaewkanjana—isn't as familiar.

That's because Kaewkanjana has never played in a PGA Tour event and hasn't appeared in a major since the 2023 PGA Championship. In fact, he took a break from golf completely to become an ordained monk in Thailand in the summer of 2023. The break came just a year after he finished T11 at the Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Kaewkanjana decided to study dharma, the teachings of Buddha, to make his parents proud. According to him, the process also helped him play more serene golf.

"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," Kaewkanjana said in 2023, per PGA Tour.

Meet the Buddhist monk who’s contending @TheOpen ⬇️

Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana took a short hiatus from professional golf in 2023 to live as a Buddhist monk and practice meditation.

He won twice on the Asian Tour and finished 11th at the 2022 Open at St. Andrews before… pic.twitter.com/qFYaoGa6n5
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2025

Kaewkanjana returned to the golf course in 2023 but failed to qualify for LIV Golf through the league's Promotions Event. He went back to the Asian Tour and All Thailand Golf Tour in 2024, notching 13 finishes in 23 worldwide starts. In his last event of the year, he again failed to qualify for LIV Golf's 2025 season.

With no standing on LIV Golf or the PGA Tour, Kaewkanjana knew he needed to win on the Asian Tour to find his way back to a major championship. After two runner-up finishes in his first four starts of the season, the 27-year-old won the 67th Korean Open in May to punch his ticket to the 153rd Open Championship.

Kaewkanjana displayed the serenity he learned while becoming a monk in the first round at Royal Portrush, calmly braving the wind and rain to shoot a 3-under 68. He made two birdies, an eagle and only one bogey on Thursday to put himself right in the mix through 18 holes.

Kaewkanjana currently sits in a tie for fourth place midway through the first round. He's just one stroke back of leaders Fitzpatrick, Jacob Skov Olesen and Haotong Li.

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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