Jeeno Thitikul has confirmed all predictions and claimed victory at the PIF Saudi International, the second tournament of the Ladies European Tour season held at the Riyadh Golf Club in Riyadh, which was also accompanied by rain on the final day.
The young Thai golfer, who will turn 22 in five days, won with authority and ease. She set it up well on Friday with a three-stroke lead after the second round and sealed it on Saturday with a scorecard of 69 strokes. At no point was the victory in danger. It could almost be said she strolled to victory.
Thitikul wrapped up the competition swiftly. She started with a birdie on the 1st hole to make it clear she wouldn’t allow any uprisings. She made another on the 4th to widen the gap even further and put the finishing touch on the 7th. Three under par in seven holes and a six-stroke lead. Game over, in Tacañón style. From there, it was about playing it safe. She signed a par score and ended up putting her name on the trophy with a total of -16. South Korean Somi Lee (-12) finished second, four strokes behind, and third place went to Annabell Fuller (-11), with fourth place shared by a group of four players: Chisato Iwai, Ina Yoon, Nanna Madsen, and Ariya Jutanugarn. All of them with -10.
Thitikul is the current Midas queen of world golf. Everything she touches turns to gold. The last tournament she played in 2024 was the CME Group Tour Championship, the grand finale of the LPGA Tour. She won it and pocketed the four million dollars awarded for first place, the highest prize in women’s golf, on par with the Designated events of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Her first tournament in 2025 was precisely this PIF Saudi International, the largest prize pool of a regular Ladies European Tour event. She took home 675,000 dollars.
With this victory, Thitikul, who started playing golf by watching YouTube videos, has amassed nearly twelve million dollars in career earnings since turning professional in 2020. She didn’t start on the right foot. She played one tournament, and the world shut down due to the pandemic. At that time, it didn’t seem like a good omen, but over time, the prodigy who won on the Ladies European Tour at 14 as an amateur has confirmed almost all expectations. Or nearly all. She has already been World Number One but has yet to win a Major. However, she has recorded at least one top 7 finish in all five that are held. It’s obvious that it’s only a matter of time before she wins her first.
In total, Thitikul has played 87 tournaments as a professional, including this week’s, and has won nearly twelve million. The average earnings per tournament are just over 130,000 dollars. A staggering amount considering Cara Gainer pocketed 67,500 dollars with her victory last week at the Lalla Meryem Cup.
The Spanish players couldn’t finish the tournament with a strong final day. There were several Top 10 options, but in the end, all those who made the cut finished far behind. Fátima Ferrnández Cano (-5) was the best among them, finishing 21st. She ended with a round of 72 strokes, with a solitary birdie and a bogey over 18 holes. The Galician missed more accuracy on the greens.
From there, Carlota Ciganda (-4) finished with a round over par and far from her usual positions, especially when playing on the LET, and Marta Sanz (PAR), Luna Sobrón (+1), and Ana Peláez (+1) ended up at the back of the pack with three rounds of 76 strokes. Among the three, they made fourteen bogeys and only two birdies, both by Peláez. A bad Saturday.
