Jeeno Thitikul shot a 68 (-4) to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Frisco, TX. Thitikul was on fire on the greens, making just under 200 feet worth of putts. She made seven putts from 10 feet or longer and was 4-for-4 on putts between 10-20 feet. Her longest made putt was a 60-foot birdie putt that tied her for the lead at that point. Her highest finish in this event is fourth in 2022.
“On the front nine, we had a lot of breeze going and more than the back nine, but I had holed the putts on 7, 8, 9, which boosted the confidence up making the turn to the back nine,” Thitikul said after her opening round.
Two-time major winner Minjee Lee sits one-shot behind Thitikul at 3-under. Lee got to 5-under after making back-to-back birdies on holes 14 and 15. She dropped two shots late in the round after bogeying two of her final three holes. This was Lee’s 52nd round shooting in the 60s in the majors since 2017.
Somi Lee, Yealimi Noh, Rio Takeda and Haeran Ryu are tied for third at 2-under par. Takeda, Ryu and Noah all made four birdies on the day while Lee made three.
Last year’s champion Amy Yang struggled during her opening round of her title defense. She shot a 4-over 76 that included five bogeys and just one birdie.
World No.1 Nelly Korda sits four shots behind the leader after shooting an even par round of 72. We’ll see if the course changes in her favor tomorrow.
Tee times begin again at 7:00am CT and 12:32pm CT off holes 1 and 10. The weather will largely be the same – hot with some wind gusts, though Saturday is forecasted to be the windiest day of the championship.
Disclaimer: Some quotations have been slightly edited for clarity.
