Jeeno Thitikul Fires 7-Under: “When My Time Comes, It’ll Be Sweeter”

Jeeno Thitikul opened the AIG Women’s Open with a spectacular 7-under round at Royal Lytham & St Annes, but her most impressive performance may have been the mentality behind the score.

Jeeno admits that some of the day went perfectly her way. One shot received a fortunate bounce over a pot bunker, her putter was excellent and the momentum continued building throughout the round.

“When it’s your way, it’s really your way.”

Despite consistently contending in major championships, Jeeno is still searching for her first major victory. She insists, however, that nothing drastic needs to change.

She is still young, expects to have many more major opportunities and believes the victory will arrive when her game is truly ready.

“When my time comes, it should be sweeter.”

Jeeno does not begin major weeks expecting to lift the trophy because the final result is outside her control. Her strategy is instead to beat the golf course every day. If she can place a red number on the scorecard in each round, she believes the leaderboard will take care of itself.

Royal Lytham also provides a unique personal challenge.

Jeeno first competed here as a 15-year-old amateur in 2018. She made the cut, won the Smyth Salver as the leading amateur and remembers hitting her opening shot to approximately one foot. She also remembers finishing near the bottom of the weekend field.

Eight years later, her goal is simple:

Beat the score produced by her 15-year-old self.

The interview also becomes a revealing reflection on fame and expectations. After winning a professional event in Thailand at 14, people immediately told Jeeno that she should turn professional. She rejected that pressure because one victory did not guarantee a successful career.

For Jeeno, consistency matters more than one spectacular result followed by disappearance.

She discusses learning to block out external noise, dealing with the noise inside her own mind and occasionally wishing she could recover some of the carefree mentality she possessed at 15.

Watch Jeeno Thitikul’s complete mixed-zone interview after her brilliant opening round at the 2026 AIG Women’s Open.

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