Jeeno Thitikul opens with 64 in
Women's British Open in quest to finally win a major
[July 31, 2026]
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul took the
first step toward the missing prize of her career Thursday when she
opened with a 7-under 64 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes for a two-shot
lead over Haeran Ryu and Shiho Kuwaki of Japan in the Women's
British Open.
Thitikul, one of only two players to have been No. 1 in women's
world ranking without ever having won a major, made three straight
birdies early in her afternoon round and kept bogeys off her card
the rest of the way.
The 23-year-old Thai has been overlooked during the LPGA major
season dominated by Ryu and Nelly Korda, who have split the four
majors. Korda, who replaced Thitikul at No. 1 in April, won the
first two majors and Ryu won the next two.
Ryu put herself in good position to make it three in a row — not
since Inbee Park in 2013 has anyone claimed three straight majors —
with two birdies on her last three holes for a 66. She won the
Women's PGA at Hazeltine and closed with 60 to win the Evian
Championship.
“I was so amazed, and I asked my caddie why I’m playing well this
week," Ryu said. "I think it’s because I’m more calm and enjoying
the golf more, that’s why these days my golf is going pretty well.”
Korda has work to do. The dominant player through the first week of
June, the American star missed the cut at Evian Championship in the
most recent major, and she couldn't atone for four bogeys in a
pedestrian round of 73.
Thitikul had her best chance to win a major at the Evian a year ago
when Grace Kim pulled off a stunning playoff victory. She's yet to
contend in a major this year, and she's off to a great start in the
final one.
“I knew that I haven’t won one yet, but I feel like I’m so young and
then I still had I don’t know how many majors ahead of me,” Thitikul
said. "I feel like one day it will come if I do my job.
“When I always step up in the major week I’m not really expecting to
like win it because it’s just really out of my control,” she said.
“What I can control is if I beat the course every day I should (have
a) really good chance to be on the leaderboard.”
She got the best of Royal Lytham & St. Annes by avoiding so many of
the pot bunkers that dot the landscape. She hit into a couple of
greenside bunkers but managed to save par.
[to top of second column] |
Haeran Ryu, of South Korea, tees off the 2nd hole during the first
round of the Women's British Open golf championship in Lytham St
Annes, England, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Thitikul has been around so long, even at her age,
that she was low amateur in the Women's British Open in 2018, the
last time it was held at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
“My strategy is beating my 15-year-old score,” she said. Thitikul
shot 12-over 300 that week when Lytham played to a par 72, so that
doesn't look to be a problem.
Kuwaki, who has won twice this year on the Japan LPGA, playing in
only her seventh LPGA major. She also had three straight birdies on
the front nine and dropped only one shot.
“I managed my game well despite the strong winds and I was able to
hole some key putts,” she said.
Celine Boutier and Yealimi Noh each shot 67 and were three behind.
Charley Hull, another player often reminded she has yet to win a
major, was in the large group of players at 69. Adding to pressure
on Hull is playing in her home country.
“But I missed quite a few putts today that I felt I should have
holed, but I felt like I stayed in there pretty well considering how
nervous I was, because I feel there was a lot of pressure on me out
there,” Hull said.
Also at 69 was Spain's Paula Martin Sampedro, a senior at Stanford
who last year won the Women's British Amateur. She was challenging
for the lead until a pair of late bogeys, the last one on No. 18
that cost her a chance to tie the amateur record in the Open.
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