From any point of view, Jeeno Thitikul’s rise is impressive.
The 22-year-old grew up in Ratchaburi, Thailand, a small town not too far from Bangkok that didn’t have a golf course. Thitikul learned the game on a driving range, which sparked her rise. She won her first professional tournament at 14. She won her first LPGA tournament in 2022 at the age of 19. Later that year, she became the second-youngest player ever to reach World No. 1. Last month, Thitikul recaptured her spot as World No. 1, overtaking Nelly Korda, who relinquished the title after 71 weeks.
Thitikul’s talent has always been apparent. There are no weaknesses in her game. While she has yet to kick down the door and win her first major championship, there is little doubt that she will eventually shine on the biggest stages. Because while Thitikul has a technically flawless swing and a pure-hearted love of competition, there’s a deeper reason for her success, something she has continually showcased along her rise. It’s something she showed once again earlier this week at the FM Championship at TPC Boston.
“Like I said earlier, I think I’m the same person,” Thitikul said when asked about returning to No. 1 in the world. “It’s just a number-wise that it’s — the golf, the ranking, the stats, they just build it up.
” I don’t think I’m good. I don’t think I’m that good.”
That’s right. Jeeno Thitikul, five-time winner and World No. 1, doesn’t think she’s “that good.” It’s that humility, the kind born from learning the game on a driving range, that keeps Thitikul grounded and wanting to dig it out of the dirt. She loves the game and loves to compete. She wants to win and win big. But her driving factor is a pure love of the game and a desire to give her family a better life. That’s something she believes she has accomplished.
Make no mistake, Thitikul knows she’s talented. But she remains amazed by everything that has come her way in golf.
“Surviving here on LPGA,” Thitikul said when asked what has surprised her about her success. “I’m just like, it’s so many players that got talent and then I just – I swear that when I was young, I just thought about winning a tournament, just one tournament on the LPGA would be enough for me.
“But to hear where I am now, I don’t know how I get it.”
Perhaps therein lies the key to her rise and expected continued elevation.
For Jeeno Thitikul, the joy of where she has made it in the game shines through in every step she takes on the course. There is immense gratitude for how far she has made, but her humility leads to a relentless work ethic to keep the impossible dream chugging along and a rare perspective that, at least for the moment, appears to free her from the pressure that normally comes when world-beating talent doesn’t meet expectations when it is required.
“Every major, I just want to make the cut, to be honest,” Thitikul said ahead of the KPMG Women’s PGA when asked if she felt pressure to win a major. “It would be really great to win it, and definitely I can tell that it would be like everyone dreams to win a major. To me, what I have now under my belt, I’m pretty happy with all I’ve achieved. If I can get it, it would be great, but if not, I don’t have anything to regret.”
Thitikul’s journey has armed her with the humility and perspective needed to rise to the top of the game and stay there. But she also currently has the gift of youthful naivete that allows her to face these things without burden. She’s only 22. Everything is in front of Jeeno Thitikul. She doesn’t need to worry about running out of time or not maximizing her gifts.
She might never feel that. Perhaps what makes Jeeno Thitikul great is that everything her talent and golf journey have brought her has already filled her soul. There is no worry about failing to meet expectations when you have already exceeded whatever you thought was possible.
Jeeno Thitikul is “that good,” whether she wants to admit it or not. But the fact that she doesn’t see what her talent has already shown everyone might be what allows her to keep climbing, even if she doesn’t have a desired destination in mind.
She has, after all, already gone farther than she ever did in her dreams.
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