Jeeno Thitikul’s record-breaking comeback win means more

The all-time tie in LPGA history ended at the hands of Jeeno Thitikul on Sunday, which was just what the world’s No. 1 and the LPGA needed.

Entering the Buick LPGA Shanghai Station, the LPGA produced 26 unique winners in 25 events. There are zero multiple winners this season. Nelly Korda won seven times last season and has yet to win despite being on the same level statistically. Having so many unique winners shows the depth of the LPGA. This tour is packed with talent and will only get deeper as more young talent blossoms. But for a tour looking to attract more eyeballs, a dominant player may be needed.

That could be Koda. She remains one of women’s golf’s top stars, and while she’s yet to record a win this season, her performances haven’t diminished. But there is room for another star to emerge, and Titi Kuhl, who replaced Korda as world No. 1 in August, has the game and personality to be a leading figure.

But winning is the key factor.

Titicul won the Mizuho Americas Open earlier this season. Despite not winning her first career title, she has been performing well at this year’s majors. She was hunting in Chevron before the weekend faded. She lost to Minjee Lee at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and in a playoff to Grace Kim at the Amundi Evian Championship. She finished runner-up in each of the first two events of the week, including the Kroger Queen City Championship, where she four-putted on the 72nd hole to hand the trophy to Charey Hull.

Titicul has won several trophies this season, including a Grand Slam trophy. Instead, she arrived in Shanghai with just one win and still licking the wounds of Kroger’s collapse.

Japan’s Minami Katsu entered the final round at Banaka Garden Golf Club on Sunday, two strokes ahead of Thitikul and Lee. Katsu’s win would set the LPGA record for most unique winners in a season (27). Katsu extended her lead to four holes after 13 holes and appeared to be on the verge of her first career win.

But Titikul had other plans.

The world No. 1 birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th holes before tying the win with an eagle on the 17th. Katsu had a chance to win with a birdie on No. 18, but her putt slipped through the hole, sending the match into a playoff. Titikul and Casu traded pars on the first four playoff holes before the world No. 1 extended her shot to three feet on the fifth playoff hole. Katsu’s shot went short of the green and her tournament-extending chip didn’t drop, giving Thitikul the title.

After the win, Titikul admitted that her disastrous four-putt at Kroger had left her under pressure. The redemptive victory in Shanghai brought a sense of cleansing to Titicul.

“What happened at the last event? [was] It’s definitely still in the back of my mind, but hopefully being able to prove myself again in this game, it’s… like a dream come true, you know, there’s no weight on my shoulders,” she said.

The Thai star showed impressive perspective early in her career. It’s a stress-relieving perspective, the product of humble beginnings. Thitikul honed his skills on a driving range in Thailand’s Ratchaburi province, a small town not far from Bangkok that doesn’t have its own course. Thitikul said her career goal was to make enough money to provide a good life for her family, and she believes she has achieved that goal. While her gifts suggest she could write her name in the stars, her goals have always been more grounded on Earth. At the FM Championship, Titikul, who just surpassed Koda to become the world’s number one, said she thought she was “not that good.”

To her, the rest is the rest. She’s already been surprised by the success she’s had. She wants more but claims that no matter what happens, she will be satisfied.

It’s both the innocence of youth and the humility that comes from learning the game on the driving range. Thitikul’s love for the game is evident in every step she takes on the court and in every post-game interview she gives. She is deeply grateful for what she has accomplished and continues to climb with a tireless work ethic. But she doesn’t seem to be weighed down by expectations either.

“Honestly, I just want to advance to every major,” Titikul said before the KPMG Women’s PGA when asked if she felt pressure to win her first major. “It’s really cool to win it, and I can definitely say it’s like everyone’s dream to win a Grand Slam. For me, what I have now, I’m very happy with everything I’ve achieved. If I can get it, that’s great, but if not, I have nothing to regret.”

But on Sunday in Shanghai, the world number one showed a different side. After the win over Kasu, Titicul acknowledged the pain of Kroger’s loss. It stings and drives her, as does all elite competitors.

“[I] Definitely cried a lot. To be honest, I cried a lot. “And then I did have a really nice off week where we didn’t play golf in Canada, and then it was like a reminder that whatever happened, it’s in the past.” And then I’m a human being, and I’m bound to make mistakes, and then everyone makes mistakes.

“I just keep [telling] Myself no matter what [happens] Amid the drama, not just in Cincinnati, but this year, I just told myself that I needed to win it myself. A winner is just one player and then I have to win on my own and then when it’s my turn I want to go back to that moment again and do it on my own again. “

These are the tears of a world-class talent with a competitive passion for excellence. This shows that a down-to-earth perspective does not mean she is complacent. Jeeno Thitikul knows she can be great and plans to turn that vision into reality. It’s up to her whether she’s burdened or not.

But first, she must wash away the pain of her previous collapse.

Jeeno Thitikul completed a historic comeback, found redemption and showed that more was to come.

“I’m not afraid anymore,” Titiku said in Shanghai on Sunday.