Entering the third round with a one-stroke lead over LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko, Thai superstar Jeeno Thitikul shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to extend her lead heading into championship Sunday at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G. At one point during the round, Thitikul had a four-shot lead over the field, but two late mistakes closed the gap. She ended the third round with just a two-stroke lead over Ko and a three-day total of 16-under at TPC River’s Bend.

“I had a really good start today, starting with birdie and then keep it lower almost going to finish. But I think it's still a really good round of golf as well,” said Thitikul after her third round. When asked about holding the lead heading into Sunday, she said, “Every player who is chasing on the leaderboard can go really low, so if you can make as much as birdie as you can and then just play your game, whatever it takes. Just like on your game and then do your best."

Thitikul got off to a quick start on Moving Day, making birdie on the first hole while her playing partners Ko and Haeran Ryu both made bogey. She added another birdie on 3 to move to 14-under, four strokes ahead of Ko and Yan Liu at 10-under, and then took advantage of the reachable par-5 8th hole to extend her advantage. A little drama ensued before the turn when Thitikul hit her tee shot right on No. 9 into the hospitality area. After a short search, she located her ball and then found the green on her second shot after getting free relief from the temporary immovable obstruction. After escaping with a par on nine, Thitikul turned in 33 and continued rolling with birdies on 11 and 15. It was then that the trouble started.

On the par-3 16th holed, Thitikul missed the green and found the right greenside bunker. She pitched out to 12 feet and missed her par putt long to record her first bogey of the day and just her third bogey of the week. Then, on 17, the 21-year-old's tee shot went left into the fairway bunker, and she bailed out onto the fairway on her second shot. She was on the green in three, about 10 feet away from the hole, but she again missed her par putt, this time just left of the hole. After back-to-back bogeys, her four-stroke lead was cut in half as she headed to the par-5 18th. Luckily, the final hole again played as the easiest on Saturday, and after finding the green in two, she two-putted for birdie to hold onto the lead in Ohio.

“Sometimes it's tough. Like when you hit a bad shot, and it's still in your head, in your mind,” said Thitikul, who led the field in greens in regulation entering Saturday’s round but is now T3 in that statistic after missing seven of 18 greens on day three. “I am trying to delete it or maybe like just get the good vision, like good ball striking that I have been playing from the first hole until whatever hole more than remember the bad things.”

After bogeying the first hole, Ko ended her blemish-free 36-hole streak, but she still has the least number of bogeys among the field. An LPGA Tour veteran, Ko is searching for her 22nd Tour title and her second win in consecutive starts on Tour. Her last appearance saw Ko earn her third major championship victory at the AIG Women’s Open, just one of the highlights of her summer that also included a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. With a solid round tomorrow, Ko could earn her third victory of the season and fifth top-10 finish in a row, including the Olympic Games.

An LPGA Tour sophomore, Liu will play in the final group for the first time ever on Sunday. The 26-year-old had an unexceptional rookie year in 2023, but she did enough to maintain her status for the 2024 season. This season, she has struggled with inconsistency and injury, missing seven straight cuts coming ahead of this week’s Queen City Championship. But one week can make all the difference on the LPGA Tour, and Liu has a chance to become a Rolex First-Time Winner with just a three-stroke deficit to overcome on Sunday.

“It's my first time playing in the last group,” Liu said when asked how she was feeling about Sunday's final round. “Just try to learn something from last hole, last round, and play last group. Just a normal 18 holes. Just try to like normal 18 holes.” When asked how happy she was to be playing so well after missing several cuts leading into the event, Liu added, “I think the first thing is my body feels very well right now. The second thing is I know I can do it. I know I can play very well on this tour, so I just try to believe in myself.”

Ryu, who is making her first start since capturing her second LPGA Tour victory at the FM Championship two weeks ago, is T4 alongside Albane Valenzuela. Ryu made two bogeys to begin Saturday’s round but battled back to ultimately sit four strokes behind the leader. It is the same position she was in heading into the final round in Boston, where she won. Valenzuela came to Maineville, Ohio, fresh off the 2024 Solheim Cup, where she was a rookie on the European Team. Though she didn’t earn a victory at the Solheim Cup, she is hoping to earn her first LPGA Tour victory this week in Ohio.

Jeeno Thitikul Extends Lead Into Sunday in Cincinnati

Related Articles