Jeeno Thitikul won the Mizuho Americas Open, closing with a 3-under 69 at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey, to finish four shots clear of Ruoning Yin and take her ninth career LPGA title..
The world number one entered the final round with a two-shot lead but was reeled in by Yin, who made four consecutive birdies on the front nine to close within one.
Thitikul, who had admitted her game had not felt right since returning from the Asian swing in March, kept her composure at the key moment. A two-shot swing at the par-3 16th — Yin bogeyed while Thitikul made birdie — effectively ended the contest, and the Thai added a closing birdie on 18 to finish at 13-under par.
“I don’t feel great with my performance, with my game, at all,” Thitikul said. “But had a call with my coach earlier on the practice round and then went everything out of my head, which is really helping. Sometimes you don’t try to fix things to be perfect.”
The win was worth $487,500 from a total purse of $3,250,000.
Yin runner-up for the fourth time in a year
Yin gave Thitikul a genuine scare, going out in 31 and at one point closing to within a shot. But she made just one birdie after the turn and dropped shots twice on the back nine to finish at nine-under. It was her fourth runner-up finish in just over a year on Tour.
“I just think something cool is going to happen. I just don’t know when,” Yin said. “If I can be in contention every week like this week and like the Chevron week, I think it’s going to happen soon.”
Boutier fades; four share third
Celine Boutier, who played alongside Thitikul in the final group, was never a factor on Sunday. Three bogeys and no birdies on the front nine ended her challenge and she closed with a 75 to finish in a share of ninth at five-under. Jenny Bae, Alison Lee, Gaby Lopez and Hye-Jin Choi all tied for third at eight-under par.
The Tour moves to Cincinnati this week for the Kroger Queen City Championship.
Full Results here
Photo Credit:- LPGA/Getty
