JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand turned back a pair of challenges Sunday and played bogey-free over the final 27 holes at Liberty National, closing with a 3-under 69 for a four-shot victory over Celine Boutier in the Mizuho Americas Open.
Thitikul, who captured the Race to CME Globe and its $4 million prize to end last season, won for the first time this year and the fifth time in her LPGA Tour career.
Nelly Korda is still trying to win for the first time this year. She was within one shot of Thitikul until driving into the hazard on the par-4 ninth hole and taking bogey. It was a downward spiral from there, as Korda played the back nine with two bogeys and no birdies and was never a factor the rest of the way.
The final challenge came from Boutier, who was posed to catch the Thai player on the 15th hole when she hit her approach to 10 feet. Thitikul faced a tough par save from a bunker left of the green, with her foot up against the slope and having to clear another bunker to a back pin.
Thitikul pulled off the shot perfectly to 3 feet to save par. Boutier not only missed her birdie chance, she missed the 30-inch comeback putt and made bogey. Instead of a two-shot swing and a tie for the lead, Boutier fell three back with three holes to play.
On the 16th, Boutier missed an 8-foot birdie putt and Thitikul made her par putt from 7 feet to stay three shots behind. Thitikul all but ended the tournament with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, and she capped off a clean par with a par save on the 18th.
“I know that a lot of putts didn’t drop on the front nine, but I’m trying to do my best,” Thitikul said. “I was just trying to tell myself, ‘Be patient, it’s coming, it’s coming.’ That’s pretty much what I told myself today.”
Thitikul finished at 17-under 271 and won $450,000, pushing her over $1 million for the year and reclaiming the lead in the Race to CME Globe.
Boutier shot 72 to finish second, followed by Carlota Ciganda (70) and Andrea Lee (72).
Thitikul didn’t make many putts on the front nine, but just like the back nine on Saturday, she stayed in front by not making any bogeys. She made birdie on the opening hole, and her best work was a 6-iron to a back pin, using the slope to feed the ball down to 5 feet.
It was one of only two birdies for the round.
That’s where Korda fell back. The No. 1 player in women’s golf made three birdies on the front nine, the last one on the par-5 eighth hole, to get within one shot. That was the last birdie for Korda the rest of the round. She closed with a 73 to tie for fifth.
The tournament, hosted by Michelle Wie West, pairs American Junior Golf Association players with the LPGA pros. Aphrodite Deng, who lives about 20 minutes away, won the AJGA division that used the modified Stableford scoring.
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