We have talked a lot about Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand on The Sporting Base. Just three years ago, she was the second youngest female golfer to ever be ranked first in the world. On Thursday, for the second time in her golfing career at the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship, Thitikul was the leader after the second round of a major (first time was the 2024 Chevron Championship). What do the 2024 Chevron Championship and the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship? Well, they are both in the state of Texas–the Chevron is in The Woodlands, and the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship is in Dallas.
On Thursday, Thitikul posted a four-round score of -4. Unlike the Chevron Championship from a year ago where she was the co-leader with Jin Hee Im of South Korea, this time Thitikul is the only leader. In the opening 18 holes, Thitikul had six birdies and a double bogey. She birdied the seventh, eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th, and 17th holes, and posted a score of six on the par four fifth hole.
There are 14 other golfers in contention and under par. Australia’s Minjee Lee is alone in second place at -3. There is then a four-way tie for second place at -2. Those two back are American Yealimi Noh, South Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu and Somi Lee and Japan’s Rio Takeda. There is then nine golfers three strokes back at -1. This group consists of South Koreans In-Gee Chun, Youmin Hwang, Shinsil Bang, and Kumkang Park, Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien, Americans Angel Yin and Auston Kim, and Japan’s Yuna Nishimura and Chisato Iwai.
Of the 14 golfers chasing Thitikul are two multiple major champions. Lee of Perth won the 2021 Evian Championship and the 2022 United States Women’s Open. Chun won the 2015 United States Women’s Open, the 2016 Evian Championship and the 2022 Women’s PGA Championship.
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