Jeeno Thitikul: Calm on the scorecard, a storm on the leaderboard – She seizes the lead at the Mizuho Americas Open!
Our defending champion, Jeeno Thitikul, made a strong move on Friday! After the gusty wind subsided, she carded a stellar 69 (-3) to snatch the outright three-shot lead at the LPGA Mizuho Americas Open. The current world No. 2 from Thailand now stands at an 8-under-par total of 136 strokes after 36 holes at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey. Conditions on the course were tough for most of the day, as the fast and undulating greens were particularly challenging due to the cold, gusty wind.
She now holds a three-shot lead over American Jennifer Kupcho, who also delivered a strong 69 and stands at a total of 139 strokes.
The Wind Lottery & Jeeno's Statement
"At the beginning, when the wind was really picking up, things weren't optimal for me," Jeeno stated. "Luckily, we had hardly any wind on the back nine. After the rain, it was as if someone flipped a switch on the wind. We were just lucky. If we had the same wind as on the front nine, my score definitely wouldn't have been so low."
Jeeno, who triumphed at the same tournament at Liberty National last year, started on hole 10 and recorded two bogeys and a birdie on her first nine holes. After a birdie and a bogey on holes one and two, she then really found her rhythm. She grabbed the outright lead with back-to-back birdies on three and four, and added two more birdies on holes six and eight.
Even though she acknowledged the good fortune of her tee time, Jeeno was completely satisfied with her game. "I also hit the ball really well," she summarized. "Two long putts dropped. I was really strong on the Par 3s, and I birdied the two Par-5 holes after reaching the green."
Kupcho & Ko: Ups and Downs
Kupcho's day was virtually a mirror image of Jeeno's performance: She started early and carded five birdies over her first 13 holes, before two late bogeys dropped her back to 5-under par. "I think this morning on the front nine there was definitely a lot less wind, almost none," explained Kupcho, who already has four LPGA titles to her name, including a major at the 2022 Chevron Championship.
When the wind then picked up, she said players had to be careful not to knock putts off the green. "The greens are really fast, you have to think carefully and be cautious about what you're doing. This is a really tough golf course," she added, noting that pin positions on several back-nine holes were placed on the sides of a hill.
Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko slipped with a 3-over-par 75, including a double bogey on the 18th, on the leaderboard.
