World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul may have recently lost her top ranking to Nelly Korda, but she proved once again why she's one of the most formidable competitors on the LPGA Tour. On Sunday, the 23-year-old Thai star successfully defended her title at the Mizuho Americas Open, capturing her second victory of the season and her ninth career LPGA title.
Playing at Mountain Ridge in New Jersey, Thitikul entered the final round with a two-shot lead and never looked back. Though her advantage grew to five strokes at one point, it was cut to just one at the turn by good friend Ruoning Yin. But Thitikul kept her composure, closing with a final-round 69 to finish at 14-under 275 for a four-shot victory. Yin settled for second place, four shots back.
The win comes just two weeks after a rare missed cut at the Chevron Championship, the season's first major. "I talked to my coach and I was like, 'You know what? Golf isn't your life. Golf is just golf,'" Thitikul shared. "When you miss cuts or you're not hitting well, it's hard to act like you're OK. I was disappointed. I was upset to not be able to make the weekend on the first major. You have to accept it and I had to move on. The good thing in golf is you have a lot of opportunities the whole year."
Thitikul's resilience paid off quickly. "You've got maybe 30 tournaments in a year and every week you can reset and have a new chance to be able to do it again. The future is always waiting for you. I'm really happy to get the job done this week really quick after the missed cut."
World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who has been on a tear with back-to-back wins at the Chevron Championship and Riviera Maya Open, did not compete in this event. But Thitikul's win puts her in elite company. She now has the second-most LPGA wins since her rookie season in 2022 (trailing only Korda's 11), and she becomes the fourth multiple winner on tour this season, joining Korda, Hyo Joo Kim, and Hannah Green—all top-10 players in the world rankings.
Interestingly, that's already more multiple-event winners than the LPGA had for the entire 2024 season (three). The depth of talent on tour is remarkable, and Thitikul's 58th career top-10 finish is a testament to her consistency.
After the win, Yin was the first to spray Thitikul with champagne during the celebration on the 18th green—a sweet moment between friends that was missing last year when Yin wasn't there to join the festivities.
For golf fans, Thitikul's win is a reminder that the LPGA's competitive landscape is far from a one-player show. With Korda, Thitikul, and others trading blows at the top, this season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. And for those of us who love the game, it's the perfect time to gear up with fresh apparel and celebrate the champions who make every tournament unforgettable.