Jeeno Thitikul makes late charge to catch Angel Yin in the LPGA finale

The Associated Press

· Posted: Nov 23, 2024 6:57 PM EST | Last Updated: November 23, 2024

Angel Yin was making putts from crossed the greenish and threatening to physique a large pb until Jeeno Thitikul finished eagle-birdie for a 9-under 63 to stock the pb Saturday going into the last circular of the CME Group Tour Championship with $4 US cardinal connected the line.

Yin had a 69 aft different time of large putts and 1 chip-in from immoderate 60 feet for eagle connected the par-5 sixth spread that enactment her comfortably up astatine Tiburon Golf Club.

She holed a 30-footer connected the eighth hole, different birdie from astir 25 feet connected the ninth spread and different 1 from the 30-foot scope connected the 12th.

Thitikul seemed to beryllium an afterthought until she lit it up connected the backmost 9 for a 30. The Thai started the backmost 9 with 3 consecutive bogeys, but she made up speedy crushed astatine the extremity with her eagle connected the reachable par-5 17th and a birdie connected the closing hole.

The birdie concisely gave her the pb until Yin made birdie connected the 17th to articulation her. They were tied astatine 15-under 201, 3 shots caput of Ruoning Yin, who birdied her past 2 for a 66.

Brooke Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., sits tied for 16th astatine 7-uncder.

Hull had 7 birdies

Charley Hull had 7 birdies successful her circular of 66 and was astatine 11-under 205, on with Narin An of South Korea.

Nelly Korda, who got backmost into the premix connected Friday aft a sluggish start, mislaid crushed with a 69 connected a pleasant time that near her six shots backmost going into the last round. Korda has won 4 of her 7 LPGA titles this twelvemonth coming from behind. This could beryllium a gangly order.

At involvement is the richest payoff successful women's golf, $4 cardinal to the winner, astir arsenic overmuch arsenic Korda has made each twelvemonth successful her seven-victory season.

Thitikul already picked up a $1 cardinal bonus this week done the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a contention based connected however players people connected a designated spread each week. Now she could permission Florida with a full of $5 million.

"Actually, $1 cardinal is truly bully capable for me," Thitikul said. "If I tin get more, it's decidedly going to beryllium a nice, due to the fact that arsenic my squad cognize I walk a batch of money. That's wherefore I person to support playing bully golf, similar spending connected buying day."

Angel Yin heard plentifulness of cheers for her agelong birdie putts, and the chip-in for eagle. She besides was helped by a mates of pars aft atrocious drives. She went good to the near astatine No. 10, did good to blast retired connected a unsighted changeable conscionable abbreviated of the greenish and past got up-and-down with a transportation to 4 feet.

And past connected the 13th, different tee changeable went good to the left. She tried to get it backmost successful play from conscionable successful beforehand of immoderate bushes, and from 50 yards deed wedge to astir 15 feet. She holed that putt, too, that kept her successful front.

"I'm scoring still," Yin said. "Making immoderate mistakes, but redeeming a bunch, truthful a batch of positives."