Thai star Jeeno Thitikul claimed her first win of the year and fifth career LPGA title at the Mizuho Americas Open, showing great poise to triumph by four shots at Liberty National Golf Club on Sunday.

Following rounds of 64, 73 and 65, Thitikul led by one shot from France’s Celine Boutier heading into the last day. World number one and defending champion Nelly Korda and her fellow American Andrea Lee were a shot further back.

The final round saw Thitikul paired with Boutier in a repeat of their epic battle at the 2023 Maybank Championship, when the latter won a nine-hole playoff. The Thai player opened with a birdie and proved unflappable for the rest of the round, carding a bogey-free 69 for a 17-under-par 271 total.

Boutier claimed sole runner-up honours on 13-under-par after a final round 72, which included a costly three-putt bogey from 10 feet at the par-four 15th hole. Despite an awkward stance, Thitikul made a glorious par save from a greenside bunker to extend her lead to three shots. The Thai player nailed her third and final birdie of the day at the 17th hole, draining an 18-foot putt to pull further away.

Two late bogeys put paid to Korda’s title defence as a closing 73 saw her settle for tied fifth place on 11-under-par with compatriot Yealimi Noh (72) and Australian Stephanie Kyriacou (67). Meanwhile, Lee signed off with a 72 to share third place on 12-under-par with Spain's Carlota Ciganda (70).

Thitikul has now registered 13 top-10 finishes in her last 15 official starts on the LPGA Tour, dating back to last August and including a second runner-up finish at the Maybank Championship.

“When I was a kid wanting to play on the LPGA Tour, my dad just told me, winning on the LPGA Tour once is good enough. I had no idea I'm going to get this far for sure. I'm just trying to do my part. I'm just trying to improve myself every day,” said Thitikul.

“I know that a lot of putts didn't drop on the front nine today. I was just trying to tell myself, ‘be patient, it’s coming, it's coming.' That's pretty much what I told myself today,” added the 22-year-old.

The tournament was hosted by former LPGA star Michelle Wie West and pairs American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) players with the professionals. Playing with Korda and Lee, New Jersey native Aphrodite Deng won the junior title with a modified Stableford total of 140 points.

Following a one-week break, the LPGA Tour heads south for the inaugural MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo.

Korean Haeran Ryu reinforced her status as one of golf’s brightest young stars with an emphatic victory at the inaugural Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion, carding a flawless eight-under-par 64 on Sunday to claim her third LPGA Tour title by five shots over Germany’s Esther Henseleit and China’s Ruoning Yin.

Heading into the final round at Black Desert Resort with a two-shot advantage over 2024 Maybank Championship winner Yin, with Henseleit a shot further adrift, Ryu carded the low round of the day for a winning total of 26-under-par 262 (63-67-68-64).

Although Henseleit narrowed the gap to one shot at the turn, Ryu pulled away on the back nine with three birdies and an eagle at the par-five 13th for the first wire-to-wire victory of her career. Henseleit’s closing 66 was good enough to tie Yin, who shot 67, for runner-up honours on 21-under-par 267.

“Just an amazing week for me, so I feel really excited now. I just wanted to keep playing my golf and just keep focusing on my swing and my putting,” said Ryu, who broke her 72-hole scoring record by three strokes.

Ryu had switched putters during The Chevron Championship last week, where she held the 54-hole joint lead with eventual winner Mao Saigo of Japan, but fell back with a closing 76.

“I think I'm a little crazy because I switched putter on a Major week, but my feel was so good. I can just put more trust in my putts,” said Ryu.

This is Ryu’s third consecutive season with a win on the LPGA Tour. She captured the inaugural FM Championship title last August, defeating compatriot and former Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings number one Jin Young Ko in a playoff. In 2023, Ryu became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, en route to securing the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award.

Henseleit was upbeat despite missing out on her maiden LPGA Tour victory. “I played great on the front nine, probably holed all the good chances and then just couldn't really keep it up. In the end, it was a pretty solid day and I gave it everything, so I'm proud of my performance,” said the two-time Ladies European Tour winner.

Yin was also pleased with her overall performance, highlighted by a tournament low 10-under-par 62 in the third round. She was also grouped with Ryu in the final round of the 2024 Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, where the Chinese player triumphed by one shot over Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, with the Korean a stroke further back in third place.

“I think my game is pretty solid. Even this week I played 70 good holes. I made a triple on the first day and then a double on 16 today. Overall, my game is really solid,” said Yin, who was chasing her sixth LPGA Tour title and first since her Maybank Championship victory.

Another Chinese player, Yan Liu, shot a final round 65 to take fourth place on 19-under-par 269, one shot ahead of two-time LPGA winner Rio Takeda of Japan.

The LPGA Tour’s next stop is the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, where Rolex Rankings number one Nelly Korda is the defending champion.

Amateur Anson Yeo held his nerve to clinch a dramatic playoff victory at the RM180,000 PGM Tun Ahmad Sarji Trophy, after finishing tied at nine-under-par 207 alongside Nathan Wong on Thursday.

Yeo, who opened the final round with a double bogey on the first hole, showed impressive composure throughout the day to stay in contention.

"I was really nervous after that start, but I kept my cool and focused on every shot. Nathan was playing really solid, and Shahriffuddin was attacking every hole. The competition was intense, but I’m glad it ended well for me," said the 21-year-old.

The playoff at Saujana’s 18th hole saw Wong gain the early edge with a strong drive and approach to 20 feet. But after his birdie putt fell two feet short, Anson Yeo chipped in from off the green to snatch a stunning victory.

Shahriffuddin Ariffin emerged as the best finishing professional in the field on eight-under-par 208 and falling one shot short of entering the sudden-death playoff. In fourth position was Marcus Lim on seven-under-par 209, and rounding up the top five was Nor Heikal Hadi with a three-under-par 213 finish.

In the Ladies Championship, Saujana GCC’s own Bang Hee Yeon claimed the title and a total cheque of RM30,000 with a nine-under-par finish. Liyana Durisic and Winnie Ng settled for a share of second on one-over-par 217.

Japan’s Mao Saigo claimed her maiden LPGA Tour title and first Major victory at The Chevron Championship on Sunday, winning a dramatic five-player sudden-death playoff at The Club at Carlton Woods.

The largest playoff in LPGA Major championship history only lasted one hole, and it was 2024 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Saigo who prevailed with a birdie. The 23-year-old became the fourth Rolex First-Time Winner of the 2025 season, joining compatriot Rio Takeda (Blue Bay LPGA), American Yealimi Noh (Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands) and Sweden’s Ingrid Lindblad (JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro).

Saigo was tied for the lead with Korean Haeran Ryu on nine-under-par heading into the final 18 holes at Carlton Woods’ Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. As Ryu fell off the pace with a final round 76, Saigo birdied the last regulation hole to get into the playoff.

Saigo’s closing 74 gave her a tournament aggregate of seven-under-par 281 (70-68-69-74), matched by China's Ruoning Yin (71-69-70-71), Korea's Hyo Joo Kim (67-71-73-70), American Lindy Duncan (72-66-70-73) and Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn (68-72-70-71).
The playoff at the par-five 18th hole saw Duncan and Kim elect to lay up with their second shots, while Saigo, Jutanugarn and Yin went for the green in two. Saigo's approach went long, and she took relief from the grandstand before playing a superb chip to three feet.

After Duncan and Kim failed to convert long birdie attempts, it was down to Yin and Jutanugarn to see if they could make their putts from around six feet. Both players missed and Saigo calmly rolled in her birdie to take the title, and the USD1.2 million winner’s cheque.

“It was my dream to earn this Major. It is my first time to win this tournament, and I was able to realize my dream and I'm very happy about this,” said Saigo, who is the first Japanese winner of the tournament since its inception in 1972.

Saigo is the fifth player from Japan to win a Major title and the third to do so over the last two seasons, joining Yuka Saso (2024 U.S. Women’s Open) and Ayaka Furue (2024 The Amundi Evian Championship).

“My predecessors have also earned majors, and I really thought I needed to catch up with them as much as possible. But instead of applying too much pressure on myself, I wanted to respect each process and move forward steadily,” noted Saigo, who is a six-time Japan LPGA winner.

Three players finished in a tie for sixth on five-under-par, including Ryu and 2019 Chevron Championship winner Jin Young Ko, also of South Korea. Defending champion and world number one Nelly Korda of the United States settled for joint 14th on two-under-par after starting with a 77.

Malaysian amateur Jeneath Wong had earlier missed the halfway cut of two-over-par, following rounds of 78 and 76 in tough, blustery conditions brought about by thunderstorms.

“The experience of playing in The Chevron Championship was unreal and amazing. Playing in the first Major of the year and coming in with no expectations made this tournament a lot more enjoyable, and there are lots of positives to take from the week,” said Wong, who earned her place in the Major with her victory at last month’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship in Vietnam.

“Being able to play on the world stage in a Major with the world’s top professionals is just an honour. I was able to see what the pros do differently and was able to learn from that,” added the Pepperdine University junior.

This was Wong’s second Major outing following the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, where she missed the cut by three shots. The 21-year-old will be accorded two more Major invitations this year as reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion, for the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort in France and the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, both in July.