Jeeno Thitikul leads the LPGA in putting. She drained key momentum putts throughout the back nine on Sunday at the Kroger Queen City Championship, but none of that mattered on the 72nd hole.
The world No. 1 hit the closing par-5 18th in two at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio, as did her closest pursuer Charley Hull, who trailed by one.
Thitikul first ran her 50-footer for eagle past the hole about 5 feet. She then pounded the birdie putt, running it 3 feet past the hole.
The back-and-forth four-putt for bogey left everyone watching in a state of shock, including Hull, who was shaking over her short birdie putt for the outright victory.
That’s now four runner-up finishes for Thitikul this season, who just two weeks ago lost a stunner to a little-known rookie named Miranda Wang at the FM Championship. In that case, it was a sloppy bogey on the penultimate hole that cost Thitikul.
Thitikul’s most memorable runner-up finish this year, of course, came at the Amundi Evian Championship, where Grace Kim pulled off a series of extraordinary shots to win in overtime.
Earlier this spring at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, where Lydia Ko won by four strokes, she took a share of second with Ayaka Furue.
Thitikul rose to No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings for a second time on Aug. 4 after finishing in a share of 30th at the AIG Women’s British Open, toppling a winless Nelly Korda.
The 22-year-old Thai player opened 2025 with a victory at the PIF Saudi Ladies International in February. She notched her fifth career LPGA title at the Mizuho Americas Open in May.
In 81 career starts on the LPGA, Thitikul has 52 top-10 finishes, including 10 runner-ups.
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