Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand quickly overcame a late double bogey on a windy Sunday afternoon at Hoakalei Country Club in the LOTTE Championship. This is her fourth LPGA Tour victory of the season and 11th overall.
After driving into the water and losing a two-shot lead on the par 4 16th, Thitikul made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par 4 17th for another two-shot swing. She closed with a birdie on the par 5 18th for a three-stroke victory over playing partner Ina Yoon.
The second-ranked Thitikul, matched top-ranked Nelly Korda for the tour victory lead, finishing with a 4-under 68 for a 21-under 267 total.
Thitikul moved within a victory of tying Ariya Jutanugarn as the winningest LPGA Tour player from Thailand.
Thitikul, 23, bagged the $450,000 first-place prize and became the sixth player in the LPGA history to break the $20-million threshold. She has moved past Cristie Kerr into the fifth place overall and now trails only Annika Sorenstam, Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Karrie Webb on the all-time list.
Nelly Korda needs to make exactly $253,921 to pass Annika Sörenstam on the LPGA all-time career money list.
Korda is sitting out the LPGA’s fall Asian swing but is expected to return to action in November at The Annika Driven by Gainbridge in Florida—a tournament she has famously won three times before. Given that first-place prizes at modern LPGA events easily exceed $400,000, a single high finish or victory when she returns will push her past Sörenstam.
The tour is headed to Asia for four tournaments, starting with the Buick LPGA Shanghai on Oct. 15-18.
They will return to the United States to play The Annika driven by Gainbridge at The Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida November 12 – 15. Tickets are available https://theannika.com/tickets#tickets.
Tom Kim clinched a gold medal in the Asian Games, earning military service exemption.
Kim, 24, was forced to leave immediately after the Presidents Cup and fly to Japan to compete in the Asian Games, with a very valid reason for his eagerness to play and succeed. Kim faced up to 21 months of military service, a requirement for all South Korean men before age 28.
However, the military does grant exemptions from standard military service, with those viewed as enhancing national pride often receiving a pass. Winning gold was enough to earn Kim that honor, and the South Korean clinched gold in the men’s singles event.
Austin Smotherman has broken through for his maiden PGA Tour victory in his 100th start, triumphing by two strokes in the Bank of Utah Championship. He earned $1,080,000 for the win.
The 32-year-old American rebounded strongly from his only wobble as he converted his overnight lead into a career-elevating win by shooting a three-under 68 to win from final-group partner Doug Ghim (69).
Smotherman came into the week at No.79 in the FedEx Cup – the top 100 keep full PGA Tour cards for 2027 – and picked up some big rewards. He now has a two-year exemption, which includes the lucrative “Championship Series” when the new competitive model starts in 2027.
The PGA Tour heads over to Yokohama, Japan to play the Baycurrent Classic this week, Oct. 8 – 11
It was great to see more coverage of the Korn Ferry Tour this week late in the day on the East Coast. Sandy Scott moved into the world’s top 100 at 87th after winning for the second week in a row.
The Scot, 28, is now 127th in the men’s rankings and joins fellow Scotsman Robert MacIntyre, who is 19th, on the world’s best 100.
Scott won the Compliance Solutions Championship in a play-off with American, William Sides, in Oklahoma on Sunday, seven days after winning the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Ohio.
He is in the top second-tier Korn Ferry Tour points list and has obtained PGA Tour membership status for 2027.
Enjoy your golf!
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