Jeeno Thitikul turned a stroke of weather luck into a commanding lead at the Mizuho Americas Open, firing a 2-under 69 on Friday to open a three-shot advantage heading into the weekend.

The Thai star struggled early, failing to make a birdie until her eighth hole—the par-5 17th—as Mountain Ridge Country Club showed its teeth with firm greens and thick rough. But then the skies opened up ever so slightly, and the course softened just enough to give Thitikul the break she needed.

"Luckily we don't have much wind on the back nine after the rain came, and then the wind just like shut down," Thitikul said. "If we got the breeze like on the front nine, I don't think my number is going to be that low, for sure."

With the conditions suddenly more forgiving, she closed with four birdies over her final seven holes to reach 8-under 136. It's a position that has her eyeing her first win of the year—and her first since losing the No. 1 ranking to Nelly Korda, who is sitting out this week.

Jennifer Kupcho set the early pace with a 69 of her own, grinding through the morning's tougher conditions. Her round was highlighted by a clutch 15-foot par save on the par-4 18th, a hole playing more than one shot over par for the early starters.

The difficulty of the course was not lost on Lydia Ko, who carded a 75 and still found herself just six shots back.

"Probably one of the rare occasions where you shoot 75 and you're not like stressing out too much about it," Ko said. "The greens are pretty undulating and you leave yourself in some positions above the hole and you don't even know if you can hold it on the green at that point."

Not everyone handled the conditions as gracefully. Andrea Lee, who opened with a stellar 66 to grab the first-round lead, saw her game unravel with five bogeys in a six-hole stretch on the front nine. She didn't make a birdie until the 16th hole and stumbled to a 79, dropping well off the pace.

For Kupcho, the day was a testament to grit. After making bogey on the par-5 17th, she found herself in the bunker on 18 with the pin tucked dangerously close to the sand. She splashed out to 15 feet and calmly drained the par putt, a small victory in a round full of tough moments.

With Thitikul holding a three-shot lead and the weekend forecast uncertain, the Mizuho Americas Open is shaping up to be a battle of patience, precision, and a little bit of luck.