Tenth LPGA Tour Title for Jeeno

Oregon, United Sates: Thai star Atthaya ‘Jeeno’ Thitikul took her LPGA Tour title count to 10 with a spectacular victory at The Standard Portland Classic.

Winner of the inaugural Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in 2018, Jeeno saved her best for last with a closing round of eight-under-par 64 for a 22-under 266 aggregate at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

It was an all-Thai podium as Chanettee Wannasaen and overnight co-leader Arpichaya Yubol shared runner-up honours, one shot back of the champion. Chanettee soared up the leaderboard with a superb final round of nine-under 63, while Arpichaya signed off with a 67.

Jeeno won US$300,000 to take her closer to the US$20 million mark in career earnings. At age 23, she became just the eighth player to reach 10 LPGA Tour wins or more before turning 24.

“Golf is really a love, hate relationship for me and to everyone, too, I guess. Because when you win, you're like: 'Wow, how good is a test?' But there are times you question yourself about what's going on,” said the ever-smiling Thai.

“To be able to get this win just makes it really worth the sacrifice that I have put in. The crying, the sadness. I mean, I just love it anyway. Even when golf slaps my face. Today, I think I won not just the tournament, but I beat my inner self’s negative side,” added Jeeno.

Currently second in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Jeeno’s third win of the season will narrow the gap to American Nelly Korda as the Thai seeks to regain the top spot.

“She [Korda] is good at everything. And then not just her. I feel like the LPGA Tour, the competition, it's higher and higher. It’s just like you think about your game, what you can do to be at the top, and to get better in golf,” she added.

Jeeno acknowledged that it helped to have so many fellow Thais competing and contending on the LPGA Tour.

“To be able to have friends from where you are from, speaking your language, eating the same food as you, it just makes it kind of really warming up, and then it feels like home. Whether we have a good week or we have a bad week, I definitely know that we got each other’s backs. Whenever we have a problem or we’re not having a nice time, I feel like we can talk and we can share, and then we can get better together,” said the golfer from Ratchaburi.