The last time world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul was on the course at an LPGA event, she was in the midst of one of the most heartbreaking losses in recent golf memory. At the start of her opening round in Shanghai, it didn’t seem to be getting much better.
On the first two holes of Thitikul’s first round, she made a bogey and a double bogey to sit at +3 early. The recovery came quick though. Starting at hole five, Thitikul made four birdies in a row to save her front nine.
After escaping the front side of the course at -1, Thitikul went into attack mode on the back. Thitikul made birdies on 11, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18. That led to a -7 first round, setting her just one stroke back of Archipaya Yubol in a tie for second.
As usual, Thitikul’s game was well rounded with 10 fairways hit, 15 greens and 27 putts.
The 22-year-old from Thailand currently leads both the Race to the CME Standings and the Player of the Year rankings and is at the top of the Rolex Rankings. She is trying to become the first player to win multiple times on the LPGA Tour in 2025.
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