Thitikul Poised to Dominate LPGA Season Finale, Korda Chases Breakthrough at CME Group Tour Championship
NAPLES, FL – Jeeno Thitikul stands on the verge of a historic LPGA season, holding a commanding six-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s final round of the CME Group Tour Championship. The 22-year-old’s performance encapsulates a year of dominance, positioning her to secure both the Player of the Year Award and the Vare Trophy.
While Nelly Korda’s winless season has garnered attention, Thitikul has quietly assembled a remarkable campaign, already claiming two victories and narrowly missing out on additional wins due to late-round challenges.She recently surpassed Korda as World No. 1, mirroring Korda’s statistical dominance from the previous year, though with five fewer wins to date.
Thitikul leads the LPGA in multiple key statistical categories: scoring average (68.88), Strokes Gained: Total (2.96), Birdie or Better Percentage (27.69%),Bogey Avoidance (10.94%), Par 3 scoring average (2.89) and Par 4 scoring average (3.92). She won the CME Group Tour Championship last year and enters Sunday at 22 under par.
Despite her notable lead, Thitikul remains grounded, acknowledging the potential for low scores on the gettable course. “As I always say, all the winners here, the score is like 20-plus something, which is really low scoring,” Thitikul said on Friday. “We just need to make more and more and more.”
Saturday’s round exemplified her approach, featuring a strong recovery from a bogey on the first hole with a string of birdies, including four consecutive on the back nine.
Thitikul’s humility is evident even in success,famously laughing and stating she “doesn’t think she’s that good” after ascending to the World No. 1 ranking.
Korda, six strokes back alongside Pajaree Anannarukarn, represents the primary challenge to Thitikul’s title defense. Korda expressed her desire to capitalize on opportunities, stating, “The competition is just getting better and better out here every year…makes you want to improve as well as there is nothing better than being in contention going down Sunday on the back nine.”
