Young guns are challenging the established. If pundits are to be believed, sooner than later, the game will be taken over by teenagers.

Thidapa Suwannapura is 14, Yupaporn Kawinpakorn is 15 and Chayuda Singsuwan is 16. They will determine whether Thailand can win the Queen Sirikit Cup for the first time at the Country Club in Manila from March 21-23.

Much will rest on the shoulders of Yupaporn, a diminutive, ebony-hued lass who seems to be just another schoolgirl. But appearances can be deceptive. Her rivals also dismissed her as another run-of-the-mill golfer in the Philippines two months ago. That was a severe error of judgement. The Thai came up with a 71 in the first round, a brilliant 66 on the second day and a cool 73 on a difficult day to take the Philippines Ladies Amateur Open.

"Nobody there gave me a chance. But somehow I had the feeling that I would win. I was a stroke behind the leader after the first day. I was a bit surprised to shoot 66 on the second though. I felt really great. I didn't look at the scores until I finished my round. I wasn't disappointed either with the 73 on the third day as the conditions were quite tough.

"In fact I always prefer to play one or two strokes behind the leader. That takes a load of pressure off my shoulders as I feel that I can play my natural game," said Yupaporn, a student of Bromsgrove International School.

Muek, as she is called by her kith and kin, credits much of her success to Thai national coach Mongkol Varee. "He made a world of a difference to my game. I will put his contribution at 50 per cent. He reconstructed my swing and made me believe in myself. He always told me not to give up until it is all over," she said.

The victory has given plenty of confidence to her and the Thai team, who started believing in themselves and feel that they have a solid chance in the Queen Sirikit Cup.

"It's the most important tournament of our lives. We have been working as a team, practising more than ever before a tournament. And this time, we have been practising differently, thanks to Mongkol," Chayuda said.

Thidapa, the youngest, said the team would not think much about their rivals and lose sleep over it. "We will try to put in steady scores and see what happens at the end," she said.

Mongkol, who went on a "spying mission" to the Country Club two months ago, said the course doesn't pose much challenge. "Anybody can shoot a low score. The girls from Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia are quite good. I feel the scores will be a lot lower this time than last year in Adelaide. We will have a chance if our girls can shoot sub-par or 73," he said.

To get familiarised with the course, the team will practice from today until March 16 at Wan Jantre Natural Park and Golf Club in Rayong, which has a similar layout. "If they practice and get par at Wan Jantre, they will have a decent chance. Wan Jantre is more difficult but the greens are similar. Practising at Wan Jantre is in fact a test and gives us a foretaste of what we can expect in Manila," Mongkol said.

The 50-year-old coach said the girls had progressed since he has taken them under his wing in December. "If you ask me the improvement, I will put the score at 7.5 out of 10. The real test for the girls was at the Thailand Ladies Open when they competed against the professionals this week. It was good exposure and they performed fairly well.

"Yupaporn has developed more confidence in her swing. Chayuda's basics are solid and Thidapa's short game and putting has become better," he said.

Mongkol said besides technique he had worked on the mental aspect of the girls. "I have been telling them that everything is in the mind. If they think positively, stay together and build up team spirit, they have a good chance of winning. I told them to look at the bright side of golf."

The three girls will, indeed, look at the brighter picture when the competition gets going two weeks from now.