Jeeno Thitikul holds off every contender, leads LPGA’s Mizuho Americas Open

WEST CALDWELL, N.J. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul held off every challenge Saturday at the Mizuho Americas Open and made nothing worse than par over her last 16 holes for a 2-under 70 and a two-shot lead as the Thai golfer goes after her first LPGA title of the year.

Thitikul started with a three-shot lead and it was gone quickly after a bogey on the second hole and a fast start by Hannah Green.

But Thitikul kept her cool and kept marching along on a Mountain Ridge course softened by spells of rain, but still difficult enough with its contoured greens to present problems.

Thitikul got up-and-down for par with a nifty pitch on the 18th to finish at 10-under 216, two shots over Celine Boutier of France, who had a 67.

“It’s a new day and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but just going to let golf be golf and then let myself be committed to golf and then just go by the flow with it and then just give myself a lot of chances,” Thitikul said. “Another opportunity under my belt that I have in the final round again.”

Hye-Jin Choi had a 66 and was three shots behind. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., didn’t make the cut at five over par after two rounds.

Green was only the first of the contenders who got within one shot of Thitikul with a four-hole stretch on the front nine that she played in 4 under, including an eagle on the par-5 eighth. But no one could surge ahead.

Ruoning Yin of China was within one shot playing the par-4 15th when she got in trouble off the tee and had a full short iron into for her fourth shot. She hit that to five feet and looked as though she might escape with a bogey. But she shockingly three-putted for triple bogey.

Yin answered with a birdie on the par-3 16th with its accessible front pin and had to settle for a 68, leaving her in a tie for fourth at 6-under 210 along with Green and Allisen Corpuz, who has not won since the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach in 2023. Corpuz shot 68.

“Just my brain, not working on this hole,” Yin said. “When I three-putted on 15 I was like … I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t angry. I just felt like I still have so many birdie chances coming up. … I think my game is in a great spot and I think I starting to figure it out this course a little bit.”

Green dropped two shots on the back, including a bogey on the 18th, and she finished when the rain was at its strongest.

“I’m going to have to do exactly what I did on the front nine — put myself in good positions off the tee as well as on the greens,” Green said. “I felt like on the back nine I had a couple of opportunities to make a birdie but it was a downhill putt, so you just can’t be aggressive.”

Boutier played bogey-free after her opening hole, including a string of three birdies over four holes on the back nine to get within one shot.

“I feel like you have to be pretty smart and kind of like almost patient about it, because sometimes you’re tempted to go for things but it’s not always the smartest choice,” Boutier said.

Thitikul, so precise most of the cloudy day, got up-and-down from in front of the green on the par-5 17th for a birdie that gave her a two-shot cushion, and she protected it with a bold play over the cross bunkers from the rough on the 18th, and a super pitch up the false front to save par.

She lost her No. 1 ranking two weeks ago when Thitikul missed the cut at The Chevron Championship in search of her first major, and Nelly Korda won The Chevron and the following week in Mexico. Korda is not playing this week.

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The Associated Press