Open this photo in gallery:
Jeeno Thitikul, of Thailand, chips onto the 14th green during the first round of the Women’s British Open golf championship in Lytham St Annes, England on Thursday.Jon Super/The Associated Press
Jeeno Thitikul took the first step toward the missing prize of her career Thursday when she opened with a seven-under 64 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes for a two-shot lead over Haeran Ryu and Shiho Kuwaki of Japan in the Women’s British Open.
Thitikul, one of only two players to have been No. 1 in women’s world ranking without ever having won a major, made three straight birdies early in her afternoon round and kept bogeys off her card the rest of the way.
The 23-year-old Thai has been overlooked during the LPGA major season dominated by Ryu and Nelly Korda, who have split the four majors. Korda, who replaced Thitikul at No. 1 in April, won the first two majors and Ryu won the next two.
Ryu put herself in good position to make it three in a row – not since Inbee Park in 2013 has anyone claimed three straight majors – with two birdies on her last three holes for a 66. She won the Women’s PGA at Hazeltine and closed with 60 to win the Evian Championship.
Korda has work to do. The dominant player through the first week of June, the American star missed the cut at Evian Championship in the most recent major, and she couldn’t atone for four bogeys in a pedestrian round of 73.
Thitikul had her best chance to win a major at the Evian a year ago when Grace Kim pulled off a stunning playoff victory. She’s yet to contend in a major this year, and she’s off to a great start in the final one.
Thitikul has been around so long, even at her age, that she was low amateur in the Women’s British Open in 2018, the last time it was held at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
“My strategy is beating my 15-year-old score,” she said. Thitikul shot 12-over 300 that week when Lytham played to a par 72, so that doesn’t look to be a problem.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot 72 to sit in a group tied for 37th, while Vancouver’s Anna Huang fired a 75.