Fickle weather and funny bounces are classic features of links golf and it makes the British Open a test of the mind as much as anything else.

For some, golf is a path to spiritual enlightenment. For Sadom Kaewkanjana, spiritual enlightenment is a path to golf. Kaewkanjana, of Thailand, isn't just an accomplished professional golfer; he's an ordained Buddhist monk.

At first glance, Sadom Kaewkanjana, who shot 3-under 68 Thursday, appears to be one of those random names that usually appears near the top of the leaderboard early at an Open Championship. But his story is far from mundane.