Given how consistent Jeeno Thitikul has been over the last year-and-a-half, it’s almost jarring to see how inconsistent she’s been at major championships.
Alas, this week at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship she has a chance to do something even more impressive than just lifting the trophy, if she were to go on to win – she can leapfrog Nelly Korda and return to No. 1 in the world.
Thitikul – who was the second-youngest golfer ever to get to No. 1 when she first ascended to the spot in 2022 – has enjoyed a tremendous run of steady, impressive golf since last year. She has six top-10s already this season including a win at the Mizuho Americas Open. She also has a win on the Ladies European Tour, which came in February. Last year she had 12 top-20s in 17 starts including seven in a row to close out her 2024, the exclamation point of which came by winning the season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship.
She also finished second alongside Tom Kim at the PGA Tour-LPGA Tour team event, the Grant Thornton Invitational, to put a bow on her incredible 2024.
It's time to lock in. :eyes: Don't mind us, we'll be here watching Jeeno Thitikul's swing.#KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/6vNNx1zMoJ
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) May 8, 2025
Through the early part of 2025, Thitikul’s statistical profile is as impressive as anyone. She’s first in strokes gained: total, gaining nearly three strokes to the field on the LPGA Tour. She’s also 10th in strokes gained: tee to green, and in the top 20 in both strokes gained: approach and putting. She has the second-best scoring average and is sixth in greens in regulation.
All in all, Thitikul should be considered a favorite every time she tees it up – including this week at Fields Ranch East.
“I feel pretty good about the way I'm hitting. I have my coach here since U.S. Open, and then kind of do some of the work together like to fix some kind of things, not too much of a big deal, but just put the work on track. It feels good,” Thitikul said.
Ah, yes – the U.S. Open. She missed the cut there and wasn’t close to being in contention at the Chevron Championship, the first major of the year. Those were the only two instances in the last 20 events where she finished outside the top 20 on the week-end ledger.
Despite Thitikul’s tidy body of work over the last year-and-a-half, she knows this week at the KPMG Women’s PGA is set to be a hearty challenge. Between the heat and the length of the course and the rough (Korda said she injured her neck while hitting a shout of out the thick stuff on Monday) there’s no letting up this week.
“(Getting your lines off the tee) is going to be a big key for this course (because) of the wind […] I (played) 18 holes and it was like, blowing all day from the first hole to the last hole, and it’s completely changing from when I practice on Sunday and Monday,” Thitikul said. “The distance might also (be) changing as well. I think, if you keep the ball on the fairway, you should have a good chance to – making par is not that hard. But making birdie should be tricky.”
Thitikul, who lives about 25 minutes away from PGA Frisco and played at TPC Craig Ranch (a PGA Tour host club) and the Dallas Athletic Club, does have seven top-10 finishes at majors, but just two in the last nine.
She said she tries to keep it simple when it comes to major championships, admitting this week she just wants to try to make the cut. Thitikul said she is “pretty happy” with all she’s achieved and if she doesn’t, she won’t have had any regrets considering all her success to this point.
If she were to win this week, however, no one would be surprised.
And, of course, she has a real chance (assuming Korda finishes tied for 11th or worse) to get back to No. 1 in the world. She’s still treating this week as normal as possible, however.
“Never thought I was going to reach No. 1 in the world as (early) as I was at 19 (years old). But now, No. 2 in the world, I think I still feel the same how I do my work, because I feel like whatever number I am, my job is the same,” Thitikul said.
Thitikul will have an up-close look at Korda as they’re grouped together along with Lydia Ko – who is gunning for the career grand slam – for the first two days of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
