Buddhist Monk Sadom Kaewkanjana's Clear Message Amid The Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The 2025 Open Championship is officially underway at Royal Portrush. While the spotlight is on big names like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, a surprising contender is quietly making waves, Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana.

Fickle weather and funny bounces are classic features of links golf, making the British Open a test of the mind as much as anything else. Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise to see Sadom Kaewkanjana near the top of the leaderboard at Royal Portrush.

Kaewkanjana has won three times on the Asian Tour and five times on the Thailand Golf Tour. He played in two PGA Championships and didn't make the cut. And he was T11 at the British Open in 2022. But the bigger story here is that he's an ordained Buddhist monk.