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NAPLES, Fla. — Jeeno Thitikul putted for birdie on each gap Friday in a efficiency worthy of the No. 1 participant in ladies’s golf, giving her a 9-under 63 for a three-shot lead within the CME Group Tour Championship because the Thai star closes in on one other $4 million payoff and LPGA participant of the 12 months.
Nelly Korda, whom Thitikul changed atop the world rating earlier this 12 months, noticed sufficient putts drop for a 64 that put her atop the leaderboard in regards to the time Thitikul was beginning.
She wound up 5 photographs behind, no less than within the combine to win for the primary time this 12 months.
Thitikul made it exhausting on everybody, working off 4 straight birdies across the flip and 6 birdies in an eight gap stretch. She performed alongside Sei Younger Kim, who did her greatest to maintain tempo and made six birdies on the again 9 of Tiburon Golf Membership to put up a 66.
Thitikul, the defending champion, was at 14-under 130.
“Higher than yesterday for positive,” Thitikul stated with a smile. “Nonetheless not had no complaints with bogey free after which 9 birdies. So I will take it.”
Somi Lee, who opened the LPGA’s season finale with a 64, made bogey on the par-5 opening gap and by no means actually acquired going. She had two birdies on her final 5 holes to salvage a 70 that left the South Korean 4 photographs behind, together with Nasa Hataoka (67).
However this was the Thitikul present, and it was all Kim might do to maintain up whereas enjoying alongside her on one other heat day with receptive turf on the greens that allowed for such good scoring.
“9 holes, Jeeno is a five-stroke [lead],” Kim stated. “I attempt to make loads of birdies, particularly again 9. So yeah, I acquired the hearth again 9. I imply, she’s wonderful. She made each gap a birdie probability. She’s an important participant. I make the birdie and he or she make the birdie.”
They mixed to make birdie on all however two of the final 11 holes they performed.
Thitikul is main the points-based award for LPGA participant of the 12 months. The one participant who can catch her is Ladies’s British Open champion Miyuu Yamashita of Japan, who shot a 69 and was 9 photographs behind going into the weekend.
Thitikul and Yamashita are the one gamers with a number of victories this 12 months.
Korda remarkably has but to win this 12 months after a seven-title season in 2024, and he or she had a sluggish begin to the Tour Championship. However she noticed loads of birdie putts from the 10- to 15-foot vary drop within the second spherical and made her an early goal.
What induced the turnaround in her placing?
“Truthfully, yesterday I went to the placing inexperienced for 5 minutes and I noticed some balls truly roll into the opening, which was good. After which left,” Korda stated.
She additionally had a low spherical on Friday final week at The Annika to get again within the combine and fell again on the weekend. This time she’s 5 photographs behind a participant dwelling as much as her billing as the perfect in ladies’s golf.
Thitikul started her birdie streak with a pair of 10-footers on the eighth and ninth holes. She then hit wedge to inside inches of the cup on No. 10, and hit her strategy to a again proper pin over a bunker to five toes at No 11, the opening enjoying the toughest at Tiburon.
The one inexperienced she missed was the 18th, however solely as a result of her strategy rolled simply off the inexperienced and nonetheless left her a birdie putt from about 18 toes that she missed.
Seven gamers have been inside 5 photographs of Thitikul with 36 holes to go, a bunch that features Brooke Henderson and Minjee Lee. The winner will get $4 million, the richest prize in ladies’s golf.
Thitikul shot 22-under par final 12 months and nonetheless solely gained by one shot. The earlier 12 months, Amy Yang set a event report by successful at 27-under 261. So she realizes she must sustain the birdies.
“As I all the time say, all of the winners right here, the rating is like 20-plus one thing which is absolutely low scoring,” Thitikul stated. “We simply must make an increasing number of and extra.”
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