We had two back-to-back champions here at the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open. Jeeno Thitikul shot a final round of 69 (-3) to win, defeating China’s Ruoning Yin by four strokes. Junior golfer Aphrodite Deng defeated Amelie Zalsman and Lily Peng in a Modified Stableford format.
The LPGA Side of the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open
After a third round of 70 (-2), Thitikul entered the final round leading by two strokes over France’s Celine Boutier. She also led Hye-Jin Choi by three strokes, with Yin, Hannah Green and Allisen Corpuz four shots behind.
It was Yin who made the charge, firing a front nine of 31 (-5) to jump up the leaderboard. It appeared to be a showdown between the defending champion and Yin, but two bogeys on the back dropped Yin too far behind. Thitikul was steady in her round, with two early birdies, adding two more on holes 16 and 18 to solidify her win. This is Thitikul’s second win of the season, with her first coming at the 2026 Honda LPGA Thailand.
Thitikul said she wasn’t concerned with the leaderboard during her round.
“I just really stay on – in my bubble. I just really focus on my tempo, what I can control, and then it turns out to be good,” she said.
After Nelly Korda’s unbelievable start to the season with two wins and four runner-ups in six starts, Thitikul demonstrated why she was the former world number one. Thitikul was once again unbothered by outside influences.
“I think for me, world ranking or top players doesn’t really define what I’m doing. I think I’m just trying to do my best out there, trying to be consistent as I can, because I know it’s going to be a really tough competition in and out every week, on and off every week, and different courses…just one thing that you can only do is just focus on yourself and keep getting better and better,” she said.
With her win, Thitikul earned $487,500 in prize money and 500 points in the season-long competition, Race to CME Globe. She moved into fourth place in the standings.
Ruoning Yin finished as the runner-up; this is the second start in a row where she has finished in second place. She has only missed one cut so far this season and earned over $1.2 million from tournaments. Although she is searching for her first win this season, her attitude remained positive.
“I think my game is trending towards the right direction, so I think I had a good day today, especially just a pure ball striking day. I made 18 greens and 13 fairways, and just, you know, just the putts didn’t go well on the back nine. But overall, I’m happy with where I’m at right now,” she said.
The AJGA Side of the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open
Aphrodite Deng won the American Junior Golf Association’s tournament alongside the LPGA Tour event this week. This is Deng’s second win of the season. Just like Thitikul, she defended her title from last year. Deng said playing with her was a positive experience.
“I really look up to Jeeno. She’s one of my favorite golfers. I just think looking at her swing has helped, because my mom always tells me how good it is. She was really sweet and fun to play with,” she said.
Amelie Zalsman finished in second place, with Lily Peng finishing in third place.
The LPGA Tour will continue next week at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G in Cincinnati, OH. Charley Hull will look to defend her title.
