Jeeno Thitkul is back.
After Nelly Korda looked poised to put together another dominant season, Thitikul said not so fast. As least her clubs did anyway, as she collected her ninth career LPGA title and second this year at the Mizuho Americas Open. It’s Thitikul’s second consecutive win at the Mizuho, though she accomplished the feat on a different course, winning at the testy Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey.
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After a season in which there were no repeat winners on the LPGA until October, Thitikul becomes the fourth player this season to win twice, joining Hyo Kim, Hannah Green and Korda. In February, Thitikul won for the first time on home soil at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Jeeno Thitikul walks off at the eleventh tee during the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open on May 10, 2026 at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey.
Thitikul wasn’t the only player to defend this week. Junior Aphrodite Deng won the AJGA event for a second straight year while playing in the final group with Thitikul.
After the win in Thailand, Thitikul started to feel off with her irons, calling on her longtime swing coach to help get her sorted. His message: try less.
“I just give credit to him that sometimes you don’t try to fix things to be perfect,” said Thitikul, who drained a long birdie putt on the difficult 18th to win by four over good friend Ruoning Yin, who noted in a hilarious post-round interview on CBS that Thitikul gave her “sh**” last year for not being there when she won.
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This time, Yin was front and center with the champagne.
“I think this week will be my fifth runner-up in had 19 months, so I don’t know, I think it’s coming,” said Yin, who hit 18 greens on Sunday.
Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is doused with water and Champagne after her winning putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open 2026 at Mountain Ridge Country Club on May 10, 2026 in West Caldwell, New Jersey.
Thitikul and Yin teamed up to win the Dow Championship two years ago but this week found themselves battling against each other.
On Sunday, Thitikul began the final round with a two-stroke lead over Frenchwoman Celine Boutier, who struggled off the tee on Sunday and was a non-factor. Thitikul opened up a five-stroke lead early in the day at 12 under, with four players knotted at 7 under.
But then Yin started making a charge, carding four consecutive birdies on Nos. 5-8 to shoot 31 on the front nine. As Yin made the turn, she had cut the lead to one shot.
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On the back nine, Thitikul’s lead bounced back and forth between one shot and two as Yin struggled to get her putter going. (She’d had seven three-putts on the week.) Thitikul held a three-shot lead with two to play and cruised in at Mountain Ridge.
After winning two weeks in a row at the Chevron Championship and Riviera Maya Open, No. 1 Korda skipped this week’s event in New Jersey. Both Korda and Thitikul will be in the field at next week’s Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati. Korda, a three-time winner in 2026, has yet to finish outside the top 2 all season.
Thitikul was asked after the round how the confidence from today would help in the coming weeks, with the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera around the corner. She, of course, has yet to win a major championship.
“I mean, like it’s always my dream,” said Thitikul. “I would say not goal, but dream to be able to win a major. As I said, I don’t want to put anything on my shoulder right now. I just took it all of it out. I just play golf.
“Whether I win major or not, I think I have done enough.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jeeno Thitikul clips good friend to win second LPGA title of 2026
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