Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul reclaims world No. 1 ranking
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Thailand's new world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul teeing off on the third on day three of the Women's British Open golf championship.
PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK – Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul has reached No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for the second time in her career.
The 22-year-old climbed one spot on Aug 4 to displace Nelly Korda, who had held the top spot since March 25, 2024.
Jeeno previously earned the No. 1 position on Oct 31, 2022, and held it for two weeks, joining Ariya Jutanugarn as the second Thai player to ascend to the top.
“I am very grateful to become the No. 1 player in the world for the second time,” Jeeno said.
“This is not just about me – this is about my family, my team and my friends, not to mention the amazing support I feel from my fans in Thailand and all around the world.
“There are so many incredible golfers competing every week and I will work my hardest to make sure I am a strong representative of our game.”
Jeeno leads the LPGA Tour with eight top-10 finishes this season, including a win at the Americas Open in May and strong Major finishes at the Women’s PGA Championship (tied-fourth) in June and July’s Evian Championship, where she lost to Grace Kim in a play-off.
She finished tied-30th at the Women’s British Open on Aug 3, while Korda was tied for 36th.
The American, 27, is still looking for her first tournament win of 2025 after collecting seven titles in 2024.
Her 17-month run at No. 1 raised her career total to 108 weeks atop the rankings, making her the sixth player to reach triple digits.
In the men’s game, the PGA Tour solidified its field of 70 golfers for the FedExCup play-offs following the final round of the Wyndham Championship on Aug 3, and Gary Woodland was among a host of notable names that failed to qualify.
Germany’s Matti Schmid began the regular-season finale sitting 70th in the points standings, and he finished exactly where he started after tying for 31st in the tournament.
Chris Kirk was the only player to climb in from outside the top 70. He tied for fifth at 14 under with four rounds in the 60s, and it was enough to boost him from 73rd entering the week to 61st.
The one player who lost his spot was South Korea’s An Byeong-hun, who missed the cut at the Wyndham and dropped from 69th to 74th in points as a result.
Woodland, the 2019 US Open champion, had an outside shot of entering the top 70 as he began the tournament in 75th place.
He opened with rounds of 67 and 64 to be near the top of the leaderboard after Aug 1, but back-to-back 70s on the weekend were not enough. He tied for 23rd at the Wyndham and finished the season 72nd in points.
Woodland was attempting to make the play-offs for the first time since he underwent surgery for a brain lesion in 2023. REUTERS
