World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul’s 2026 season is off to an impressive start as the 23-year-old claimed her eighth career LPGA victory at Honda LPGA Thailand on Sunday – and her first ever win in her home country.
Thitikul shot rounds of 67-63-66-68 to move to 24 under, beating Japan’s Chizzy Iwai by one stroke. Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim was third at 22 under.
Thitikul was three shots behind at the halfway point of the tournament, but entered the final round with a two-shot lead after birdying the final three holes of her third round. On Sunday, Thitikul made six birdies, taking her tournament total to 25, tied for the most of any player in the field.
Thitikul has competed in her country’s tournament a total of eight times, but until this year, her best finish was runner-up in 2021.
;)
Review of Jeeno Thitikul’s record-setting under-the-radar year
Jessica Marksbury
“I mean, I’d rate it as something A+++,” Thitikul said Sunday of where that win ranks. “I mean, you know, like I know it’s not that big of an event compared to the top teams, but like for us, for me, winning in my country means a lot to me, sometimes more than a big feeling.”
Another element that added to the significance of the occasion was the fact that Thitikul’s mother was there to see her daughter win in person for the first time.
“Yeah, it’s too bad. My mom just came to me when I turned 18 and she cried a lot, and then I told her, I finally won the tournament before you. I wish you were here with me,” Thitikul said. “So she’s very emotional. It makes me emotional too.”
Thitikul has now won three times in five starts and has earned $17,704,399 in just 86 total starts, moving him to seventh in the LPGA all-time career money list. Annika Sorenstam is No. 1 with $22,583,693 in 308 starts.
This week, the LPGA heads to Singapore for the HSBC Women’s World Championship, where Lydia Ko is the reigning champion. The first round begins on Thursday, February 26.
