Jeeno Thitikul was one of the first people to embrace Ruoning Yin on Sunday at the Buick LPGA Shanghai.

Yin had just made history by becoming the first player from the People’s Republic of China to win the LPGA Tour’s annual stop in her native country. The two friends hugged on the 18th green at Qizhong Garden Golf Club as champagne was poured over the top of the duo in celebration of Yin’s victory. Thitikul teamed up with Yin to win the Dow Championship in June, and on Sunday, she waited beside the 18th green to witness her playing partner win for the second time this season.

“I was so nervous and like more expectation on herself playing in front of her home country, and then also spectators,” Thitikul said about the pressure Yin was feeling throughout the week to deliver a victory.

That sense of pressure and expectation was something Thitikul could relate to, having competed as both a junior and professional golfer in her native Thailand during the Honda LPGA Thailand. Thitikul said Yin asked her this week if she also had a similar feeling when she competed at home and whether she questioned if she would be able to overcome the pressure to win. Thitikul said she told her friend, “of course.”

“I'm so proud of her. Seemed like she overcome it well and then also handle it well,” Thitikul said about Yin’s ability to manage the stress of the week. “As a friend, I was proud of her every single day that she did it out there.”

It was a successful week for Thitikul too, as she carded a final-round 67 at the Buick LPGA Shanghai to finish tied for fifth and earn her fourth consecutive top 10 on the LPGA Tour. The solid finish came despite the struggles she said she had with her iron play throughout the week, but she still managed to hit more than 80 percent of her greens in regulation.

“To be honest, I'm not really feel confident with my irons this week. I was struggling with the irons. And then also, that's why I think I missed a lot of chances to make it closer to make a birdie,” Thitikul said after the final round. “I've been in contention for week in, week out, which is really nice.”

Thitikul will look to maintain that consistency in the coming weeks as the LPGA Tour continues its swing through Asia. The 21-year-old is slated to compete next week in the BMW Ladies Championship in the Republic of Korea and the Maybank Championship the following week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The next two weeks also represent an opportunity for Thitikul to continue to fine-tune her game as the Tour winds closer to the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

“I always love Asian Swing. All good food, good vibes, no cut line for us. And then, we can be aggressive all the time,” Thitikul said about her upcoming stretch. “For Korea, I think the weather going to be challenging for me because I'm not used to the cold weather much. Hopefully, if it's not that cold, it should be good for me. I still have a lot of work to work on as well. My irons and also my short game. Just a lot of stuff to do.”

Jeeno Thitikul Picks Up Another Top 10, Celebrates with Ruoning Yin

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