Thitikul outlasts Yin to win Mizuho Americas Open for second title this year

WEST CALDWELL, N.J. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul fought off one final challenge Sunday and pulled away with a pair of late birdies for a 3-under 69 to win the Mizuho Americas Open by four shots over Ruoning Yin, giving the Thai player her second LPGA Tour victory this year.

Thitikul was staked to a two-shot lead at the start of the final round. Yin managed to rally from four back to get within one shot.

The turning point came on the par-3 16th hole, a two-shot swing when Yin fell behind with a bogey, and Thitikul made her first birdie on the back nine. That made it a three-shot lead, and Thitikul added a birdie on the final hole at Mountain Ridge.

She also won the Honda LPGA Thailand earlier this year, and Thitikul now has nine career LPGA titles. This is her fourth season with multiple wins since joining the LPGA in 2022.

“It means a lot to me,” said Thitikul, who stated that her game hasn’t felt right since returning from the Asian swing in March. “I don’t feel great with my performance, with my game, at all. 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.”

Yin shot a 69 to finish alone in second.

Celine Boutier, who played in the final group with Thitikul, had three bogeys and no birdies on the front nine to fall out of the chase. She shot 75 and tied for ninth.

Thitikul went into the year at No. 1 in the women’s world ranking, and then won early in Thailand. But the Thai and everyone else has been left behind by Nelly Korda, who overwhelmed the field two weeks in a row to win The Chevron Championship for her third major and then in Mexico.

Korda did not play this week.

Thitikul becomes the fourth player with at least two wins this year, after a 2025 season in which it took until October before there was a multiple winner. The others are Hannah Green and Hyo Joo Kim, who went home this week and won a Korea LPGA event.

“I think all the players, including me, just really want to get better,” Thitikul said. “We’ve got a lot more talented players, new faces, and then everyone could win the tournaments which means the competition level, it’s getting higher.

“I believe everyone just putting work in on the off-season to see the good result.”

Thitikul got off to a quick start with a pair of early birdies. Yin, one of her best friends on the LPGA, came charging back with four straight birdies on the front nine to go out in 31. But Yin’s birdie on the par-5 eighth was the last one she made. Yin hit all 18 greens in regulation and missed only one fairway, but with a pair of bogeys on the back nine, she didn’t get as much out of her round.

It was her fourth runner-up finish it just over a year.

“I just think something cool is going to happen. I just don’t know when,” Yin said. “Yeah, I mean, if I can be in contention every week like this week and like the Chevron week, I think it’s going to happen soon.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf