NAPLES, Fla. — Jeeno Thitikul made 9 birdies for the second straight day, this time giving her an 8-under 64 that allowed the Thai star to tug away Saturday and construct a six-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical of the CME Group Tour Championship.
Thitikul, the No. 1 participant in girls’s golf, is one spherical away from sweeping all of the awards on the LPGA Tour, together with the $4 million verify for successful.
She has all however clinched LPGA participant of the 12 months and the Vare Trophy for the bottom scoring common, and will set an LPGA file relying on her closing spherical.
Nelly Korda shot a 65 and nonetheless misplaced floor. She was six pictures behind, together with Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand, who additionally shot 65 on one other heat, comparatively calm day at Tiburon Golf Membership.
Thitikul was at 22-under 196. She received final 12 months at 22-under par, and made it clear that her work isn’t but completed.
“Making an attempt to make birdies and birdies and birdies,” she stated with a stress-free smile.
After a bogey on the par-5 opening gap, Thitikul ran off 4 birdies in a five-hole stretch to regain her momentum. After which she made 4 straight birdies on the again 9 to grab management.
The ultimate pairing would be the No. 1 and No. 2 gamers in girls’s golf, nevertheless it nonetheless looks like a mismatch the best way Thitikul has performed this week.
“I used to be simply making an attempt to do the identical,” Thitikul stated. “Simply making an attempt to go for the green, looking for one of the best that we are able to to get close to the pin after which make the putt. Easy technique.”
She already has made 24 birdies in her 54 holes this week. She has missed simply 5 fairways and 6 greens going into the ultimate spherical.
Korda did not plan on doing something in another way with a six-shot deficit on Sunday.
“You’re on the market competing arduous and also you’re making an attempt to win, however you additionally should not get too forward of your self and play the sport,” she stated. “As a result of in the event you begin to get somewhat too forward of your self and push somewhat too arduous, these errors do begin to creep in and it isn’t going to be helpful.”
It is her final probability to keep away from her second winless season in three years on the LPGA. The exception was final 12 months, when she received seven occasions, together with a second main.
Anannarukarn was the sixtieth and last participant to qualify for the season-ending match, the place all 60 gamers had an opportunity to win the $4 million prize no matter their rating. She chipped in for eagle on the sixth gap and is taking advantage of her alternative.
“Fairly cool,” she stated. “Coming into this week I believe it was a very good alternative I obtained into this week and with how I have been taking part in this season I am actually comfortable how I have been taking part in. It is superior to see that the outcomes are displaying and shifting to a very good course.”
Sei Younger Kim, who performed within the last group with Thitikul, needed to accept a 68 that left her seven pictures behind in fourth place. Gaby Lopez of Mexico had the low spherical of the week, a 62.
Nevertheless it all begins with Thitikul, who has an opportunity to affix Jin Younger Ko of South Korea as the one back-to-back winners of the CME Group Tour Championship.
