Jeeno Thitikul raced to a runaway victory in Riyadh at the PIF Saudi Ladies International securing her 17th professional win with a final-round 69 to finish 16-under par.
The prodigious Thai, who’ll celebrate her 22nd birthday this Thursday, follows her compatriot Patty Tavatanakit, who picked up the winner’s cheque last year as part of the $US5 million Saudi’s flagship women’s golf tournament in 2024.
The event marked Thitikul’s first start of the season. Afterwards she said: “It’s the best present I’ve ever received in my life!” Adding: “To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be able to win my first event of the year at all because after a long offseason without playing tournaments, you need to adjust a little bit on the course. But winning here is a huge advantage. We can take this form and carry on the good things that happened here. More than anything, I think my team will be proud because we’ve worked really hard in the offseason, always trying to get better. Having a win here means we’re moving in the right direction.”
Thitikul started the final day at Riyadh Golf Club with a three-shot lead, which she quickly extended by notching four birdies in her first 10 holes, giving her a five-shot advantage with eight holes to play.
The world No.4 would give just one shot back to the field over these holes, which proved too good for closest competitors Somi Lee, whose two-under-par round of 70 would hand her outright second, and England’s Annabell Fuller, who made a remarkable recovery after a three-over front-nine to finish her round one-over-par and leave her alone in third place.
England’s Annabell Fuller finished in third place to seal her best ever performance. [Photo: Mark Runnacles/LET]
In securing third place, Fuller has made it back-to-back top-10s after a sixth placed finish on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
After her final round, 22-year-old Fuller, who will pocket $US270,000 from the PIF Saudi Ladies International from finishing third, said: “I was saying to my parents last week, ‘This kind of tournament is life-changing.’ Golf isn’t cheap, and neither is travelling, so having the opportunity to earn at this level is huge. It really helps make a career in the game more sustainable.
“It was awesome to play next to [Thitikul] and watch her game, she’s so good. Even when she made a mistake, seeing how she recovered was incredible. Her short game is just next-level, and she always managed to get out of tough spots so well. For me, it’s a huge confidence boost to have two strong weeks back-to-back.”
Boasting an historic $US5 million prize fund, the PIF Saudi Ladies International matches the men’s equivalent, the PIF Saudi International (played on the Asian Tour,) and represents the highest non-major purse on the LET, illustrating Golf Saudi and PIF’s aligned commitment to enabling and advancing women in the game.
After her victory, Thitikul addressed the significance of the event.
“I think Golf Saudi and PIF have done so much to elevate women’s golf and grow the game,” she said. “I really appreciate how they see the potential in women’s golf and continue investing in it. The women’s game really needs this kind of support to keep growing, especially for the next generation. Hopefully, more fans will watch, whether on TV or coming out here in person. Saudi has done a really good job organising a big event and bringing in top players to compete, which is great for women’s golf.”
Thailand’s Thitikul is embraced by last year’s winner, compatriot Patty Tavatanakit.
A new two-day team format was introduced to the tournament this year to heighten the drama and increase prize-winning potential. Korea’s Lee captained her team to a two-shot victory.
