“The greats don’t come along too often.”
That was Nelly Korda describing Jeeno Thitikul after the 22-year-old Thai secured her second consecutive season-long LPGA title, the Race to the CME Globe.
Thitikul, the world No. 1, claimed the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon in Naples, Fla., for her third victory of the season. She finished four strokes ahead of fellow Thai Pajaree Anannarukarn and six strokes over world No. 2 Korda, who played with Thitikul in the final round.
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In 2025, Thitikul was the only multiple-time champion on the LPGA. It was also the year she planted her stake in the ground as the face of women’s golf.
“Definitely all that [2025] Vare Trophy [lowest season-long scoring average], like Player of the Year is always going to be representing how consistency you are in the whole long season,” Thitikul said. “But hold that trophy just feel, you know, kind of goosebump because like I think it’s had all the history about golf from all the players.”
MORE: Final results, payouts from CME Group Tour Championship
And she made history in collecting those accolades. Thitikul’s scoring average of 68.681 bests Annika Sorenstam’s 68.697 in 2002 and set the LPGA’s new single-season mark.
“I mean, it’s kind of crazy, right?” Korda said of Thitikul. “To finally beat a record so far in—what was it, 2002 you said? For it to take until 2025, I mean, it’s crazy.”
A year ago, Korda was the one altering the record books. She joined Nancy Lopez (1978) and Sorenstam (2004-05) as the only players to win five consecutive LPGA events and Korda’s seven total victories were the most by an American in a single season since Beth Daniel in 1990.
Oozing with star power, she was the predominant player in women’s golf. But in 2025, Korda was winless. Though the 27-year-old played well, with nine top 10s in 19 starts, Thitikul surpassed Korda as world No. 1.
“I feel like there was a lot of ups and downs and it made me grow a lot mentally,” Korda said of her season, “and I would say I’m just also very grateful for it because success is never linear.”
The moment Jeeno Thitikul defended the season title 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Xj96nm85ku
— LPGA (@LPGA) November 23, 2025
This year was a bit of a transitional period for the LPGA, which was celebrating its 75th anniversary. The tour began the season with an interim commissioner before Craig Kessler assumed the role this summer. In his first four months, he’s gotten to work on bettering the LPGA product, including bringing in new marketing sponsors and splitting with its chief marketing, communications and brand officer.
However, the LPGA isn’t devoid of talent. The tour had a record 26 different champions in 26 events before Thitikul ended that streak at the Buick LPGA Shanghai in October, coming back from four strokes with five to play, forcing a playoff.
And Thitikul showed resilience in her breakout year. At September’s Kroger Queen City Championship, Thitikul, with a one-stroke lead on the 72nd hole, four-putted from 50 feet to fumble the victory.
That tournament, though, was perhaps the most consequential of her season.
“I remember the day that I came to Dallas after the Kroger,” she said when asked what she’ll remember from this year, “I have the ice pack put in my eyes because I cried so bad. That’s I remember. … But I just want to remind myself … the happiness in your life, this day will come definitely.
“Like the sadness days will come. So just, kind of like whatever you had in your career doesn’t define who you are and doesn’t define like who I am as Jeeno, too.”
Just a few events later, Thitikul bounced back. Then, a week before the Group CME Tour Championship, she hurt her wrist on the practice range. That prevented her from hitting balls for a few days, but entering Round 1, the pain mostly subsided, paving the way for her dominant win, her seventh on the LPGA.
Next to Korda, the LPGA has a star in Thitikul who’s performing at a historic rate on the course and is seemingly always willing to be open off it, even if English isn’t her first language.
There’s one gaping hole in her resume, though: a major championship title. She has nine major top 10s since 2022, her rookie season, and was close at the Evian Championship this year, but fell in a playoff to Grace Kim.
Afterward, she wasn’t feeling the pressure to get over the major hump.
“Overall, like so proud of I can do it,” she said. “I can overcome it. And then hopefully a lot better chance in the future.”
Sorenstam, arguably the greatest player in women’s golf history, was 24 when she won her maiden major at the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open. Heck, she didn’t even have an LPGA title entering that year. Yet she finished her career with 72 of them, including 10 majors.
Thirty years later, Thitikul is already surpassing Sorenstam, one of the “greats,” in certain categories. And still only 22, the sky is the limit for her.
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