Jeeno Thitikul happy to see putts
go in and lead at Liberty National with a 64
[May 09, 2025]
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand feels so
much better when she sees putts going in, and Thursday was an happy
occasion at the Mizuho Americas Open. She took only 26 putts, eight
of them for birdie, in a clean start of 8-under 64 to lead by two
shots.
Thitikul was bogey-free at Liberty National and had the advantage of
playing in the morning with virtually no wind on the course across
the Hudson River from Manhattan.
She finished strong, dropping a short iron into 5 feet on the 17th
and judging the distance perfectly on the closing hole with a shot
that stayed below the hole and left her only about 3 feet for
birdie.
Celine Boutier of France ran off five straight birdies in the middle
of her round to account for not taking advantage of the par 5s. She
was at 66 with Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea and Lindy Duncan, who
lost in a five-way playoff at the Chevron Championship two weeks
ago.
“I think my putter working well, better than Chevron week,” said
Thitikul, the No. 2 player in the women's world ranking.
She opened with rounds of 71-75 at the Chevron Championship, the
first major of the LPGA season. Thitikul took off last week and
devoted a lot of time to her putting, almost to a fault. She found
her emotions going all over the place depending on the result.
“First couple days I've been back home and I putt a lot, a ton,” she
said. "I feel good when I see it drop but I feel bad when I see it
miss. ... And I was like, ‘No, you can’t be like this.' It's in or
it's not. It has to be the same feelings and emotion.
“I just going to putt less and think less. That's pretty much I want
to do,” she said. “Because mental-wise, pretty important to see all
putts in. I don't want to be so tight and tense.”
Besides, she felt the greens were tough for everyone at the major.
“We're here, hit it good, and also making the putts,” Thitikul said
after her 11th round of 64 or lower over the last four seasons.
[to top of second column] |
Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, bottom, lines a putt on the 13th green as
the Statue of Liberty looms in the distance during the first round
of the Mizuho Americas Open LPGA golf tournament, Thursday, May 8,
2025, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Defending champion Nelly Korda had six birdies —
three of them on the par 5s — to account for a few bogeys on her
front nine and finished in the group at 68.
Korda, the No. 1 player in women's golf by a big
margin, has yet to win this year. She won the Mizuho Americas Open a
year ago for her sixth victory of the season. Her game hasn't been
as sharp this year, and Korda is more interested in looking ahead.
“Just got to focus on what my game plan was last year — that was one
shot at a time, not to get ahead of myself,” Korda said. “I know at
the beginning of the year I had a lot to defend, but I think that
instead of putting pressure on myself I should be happy that I was
in that moment, that I did achieve all that great success. So just
go out here and do what I love.”
The group at 67 included Haeran Ryu of South Korea, coming off a
victory last week at the Black Desert Championship in Utah that
elevated her to No. 5 in the world. Her round included a bogey on
her final hole.
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