NAPLES, Fla. — Gino Titikul had nine birdies for a second straight day, this time shooting an 8-under 64, allowing the Thai star to open Saturday and build a six-shot lead heading into the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship.
Titi Kuhl, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, needed just one round to sweep all the LPGA Tour awards and win $4 million in prize money.
She nearly won the Val Trophy for LPGA Player of the Year and lowest scoring average, and depending on her final round, she might have set an LPGA record.
Nelly Korda shot 65 but still fell behind. She was six shots behind Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn, who also shot a 65 on another warm, relatively calm day at Tiburon Golf Club.
Thitikul finished at 22-under 196. She won last year at 22 under and made it clear her work wasn’t done yet.
“Try birdie, birdie, birdie,” she says with a carefree smile.
After a bogey on the opening par 5, Titikul regained momentum with four birdies in five holes. She then made four consecutive birdies on the back nine to seize control of the match.
The final pairing will be the No. 1 and No. 2 players in women’s golf, but the way Titicul played this week still felt like a mismatch.
“I just wanted to do the same thing,” Titikul said. “Just trying to walk to the fairway, trying to find the best way to get to the pin and make the putt. Simple strategy.”
She has made 24 birdies in 54 holes this week. Heading into the final round, she had missed just five fairways and six greens.
Korda wasn’t planning on doing anything different Sunday with six shots behind.
“You compete hard on the court and want to win, but you can’t get too ahead of yourself and play games,” she said. “Because if you start getting a little too far ahead and pushing too hard, those mistakes start to creep in, and it’s not going to do any good.”
This is her last chance to avoid a second winless season on the LPGA in three years. The exception was last year, when she won seven titles, including a second Grand Slam title.
Anannarukarn is the 60th and final player to qualify for the end-of-season tournament, where all 60 players will have a chance to win $4 million regardless of ranking. She made an eagle on the sixth hole and made the most of her opportunity.
“It’s very cool,” she said. “Going into this week, I thought it was a good opportunity for me going into this week and I’m really happy with how I’m doing considering how I’ve played this season. It’s great to see the results are going in a good direction.”
Sei Young Kim, who played in the final group with Thitikul, finished with a 68, seven shots behind fourth place. Mexico’s Gaby Lopez shot the lowest score of the week with a 62.
But it all starts with Thitikul, who has a chance to become the only back-to-back winner of the CME Group Tour Championship with South Korea’s Jin Young Ko.
