Jeeno Thitikul has approached each round of the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards with the same mindset: every match is different. But regardless of when she played or who she was competing against, one thing has remained the same – Thitikul won.

On Saturday morning at Shadow Creek Golf Course, Thitikul defeated her fourth opponent of the week and tied the biggest victory of the tournament thus far with a dominating 8-and-7 rout of Nataliya Guseva.

The first three days of the competition saw players compete within a group of four in round-robin group play, and for Epson Tour alum Guseva, it was a fairytale start. In her tournament debut, the 50 seed advanced through a tough group of Solheim Cup competitors in Rose Zhang, Megan Khang and Albane Valenzuela to make it to the round of 16. But the magic ran out for Guseva on Saturday morning as she never led in her match with two-seed Thitikul, who recorded eagles at the par-5 7th and 9th holes and then racked up two more birdies before closing out Guseva with a third birdie on the par-4 11th hole.

“I knew it's going to be a tough day. Like early morning, it's cold, it's windy, but I just keep patient,” Thitikul said after her match with Guseva. “And then I think my iron shots work really good today.”

The path to the round of 16 wasn’t easy for Thitikul either, but she managed to win matches against all three members of her group, which included Gaby Lopez, Hye-Jin Choi and Danielle Kang. It’s no surprise to see her plowing through her competition, as it’s pretty much what she’s done throughout this season on the LPGA Tour, too. She has earned top-five results in three of her four starts this season on Tour and is on pace for another top finish this week in Las Vegas.

Thitikul is making only her second start at the T-Mobile Match Play. She skipped last year’s event while she was rehabbing a thumb injury and is making just her second appearance since joining the Tour back in 2022. Returning to Shadow Creek, where she competed as a rookie, has been an eye-opening experience for the Thai superstar, who has been reflecting on how much she has grown as a player.

“I think [I] compared myself last three years, like totally different how I play this course,” Thitikul said Friday about how she’s approached her return to Shadow Creek. “I think I play way better than my rookie year.”

It wasn’t just her irons that Thitikul leaned on en route to success in her Saturday morning round. During the match, Thitikul’s close friend, Ruoning Yin, who did not advance to the round of 16, came out and watched Thitikul play the first nine holes at Shadow Creek. It’s a favor that the two friends often have returned for each other when they are in contention.

“I was like ‘Oh, you're my lucky charm today,’” Thitikul said about her friend looking on. “Basically, got that good energy, good vibes around.”

Thitikul planned to spend some time hanging out with Yin, grabbing a bite to eat and staying loose before heading out for her second 18-hole match of the day to determine the final four players who will advance to the semifinals of the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards. Thitikul will face No. 10 Angel Yin in the Saturday afternoon match-up.

“It's so great to be playing on the weekend because I know it's going to be more tough as well,” Thitikul said about her approach over the final two days. “On the weekend, everyone just eyeing the win.”

Jeeno Thitikul Defeats Nataliya Guseva 8 and 7 to Earn Spot in the Top 8

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