JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Jeeno Thitikul, from Thailand, overcame Sunday’s challenges and played bogey-free in the last 27 holes at Liberty National, closing with a 69-under-par for a four-stroke victory over Celine Boutier at the Mizuho Americas Open.
Thitikul, who captured the Race to CME Globe and its $4 million prize at the end of last season, won for the first time this year and for the fifth time in her LPGA Tour career.
Nelly Korda is still trying to win for the first time this year. She was one shot off Thitikul until her tee shot went into the hazard on the par-4 9th hole and she made bogey. It was a downward spiral from there as Korda played the back nine with two bogeys and no birdies and was never a factor the rest of the way.
The final challenge came from Boutier, who was ready to catch up with the Thai player on the 15th hole when her approach landed 10 feet away. Thitikul faced a difficult par from a bunker to the left of the green, with her foot resting on the slope and having to clear another bunker towards a back pin.
Thitikul made the putt perfectly from 3 feet to save par. Boutier not only missed her birdie opportunity, but also missed the 30-inch return putt and made bogey. Instead of a two-shot swing and a tie for the lead, Boutier fell three shots behind with three holes to play.
On 16, Boutier missed an 8-foot birdie putt and Thitikul made her 7-foot par putt to stay three strokes behind. Thitikul virtually ended the tournament with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, and capped a clean par with a par on 18.
I know a lot of putts didn’t fall on the front nine, but I’m trying to do the best I can. I was just trying to tell myself, ‘Be patient, it’s coming, it’s coming.’ That’s pretty much what I told myself today.
Jeeno Thitikul
Thitikul finished at 17-under 271 and won $450,000, surpassing one million dollars for the year and regaining the lead in the Race to CME Globe.
Boutier shot 72 to finish in second place, followed by Carlota Ciganda (70) and Andrea Lee (72).
Thitikul didn’t make many putts on the front nine, but just like the back nine on Saturday, she stayed ahead by not making any bogeys. She birdied the first hole, and her best work was a 6-iron towards a back pin, using the slope to bring the ball to 5 feet.
It was one of only two birdies of the round. That’s where Korda retreated. The No. 1 player in women’s golf made three birdies in the first nine holes, the last on the par-5 8th hole, to be one stroke behind. That was the last birdie for Korda the rest of the round. She closed with 73 to tie for fifth place.
The tournament, organized by Michelle Wie West, pairs players from the American Junior Golf Association with LPGA professionals. Aphrodite Deng, who lives about 20 minutes away, won the AJGA division that used modified Stableford scoring.
