Jeeno Thitikul rekindled her love affair with Royal Lytham and St Annes in spectacular fashion. She turned back the clock at the venue where she first announced herself as a precocious 15-year-old talent and charging to a solid seven-under 64 to seize the first-round lead in the AIG Women’s Open in Lancashire, England on Thursday.
After narrowly missing a birdie on the tournament’s rare opening par-3, the Thai world No. 2 quickly found her rhythm, unleashing seven birdies against demanding links conditions to surge two shots clear of red-hot Haeran Ryu, whose own impressive 66 had looked enough to secure first day honors in the season’s final major championship.
For Thitikul, the round was more than just a brilliant start in her pursuit of a long-awaited first major championship. It was also a return to the course where she captured the Smyth Salver as the tournament’s low amateur in 2018, a performance that first showcased her immense potential on one of golf’s sternest stages.
Despite teeing off in the more difficult afternoon wave, Thitikul masterfully navigated Royal Lytham’s swirling winds, punishing pot bunkers and unpredictable greens, combining crisp ball-striking with a hot putter and, by her own admission, a few fortunate bounces.
Ryu, meanwhile, continued to ride the momentum of a remarkable season as she launched her quest for an extraordinary third straight major championship.
Fresh off victories at the Women’s PGA Championship and the Evian Championship, the world No. 3 looked every bit a player capable of completing a rare three-major sweep. She dominated one of the marquee groups featuring world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Olympic champion Lydia Ko, showcasing superb iron play and confident putting in an opening five-under card that briefly placed her atop the leaderboard before Thitikul’s late charge stole the spotlight.
The contrasting rounds set up an intriguing battle heading into Friday, with Thitikul looking to build on her momentum in a switch in tee-time, while Ryu, seeking to strengthen one of the most remarkable major runs in recent LPGA history, out to stay in control of her game in a late start.
Two-time US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso, meanwhile, endured another frustrating round as she mixed flashes of brilliance with costly mistakes to settle for a one-over 72 and a share of 37th.
The ICTSI-backed Filipina-Japanese star recovered from an opening-hole miscue, responding with birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to briefly move into red figures and hint at the kind of charge that has made her one of the game’s biggest-stage performers. But she struggled to create quality birdie opportunities over the closing stretch, and costly bogeys on Nos. 14 and 18 dropped her back to one over.
Although eight shots behind Thitikul, Saso remained within reach of the projected cutline and has an opportunity to halt a string of missed cuts, including in the majors. A strong second round could quickly revive her hopes of contending over the weekend on a course that has already proven capable of producing dramatic swings.
Thitikul’s charge gathered steam after that early missed opportunity. She ignited her round with three straight birdies from No. 4, added another on the eighth, then continued her relentless assault with birdies on the 11th, 13th and 15th for a sparkling 31-33 card.
Ryu, who began in the calmer morning conditions, opened with a birdie and added more at the fourth, sixth and seventh holes to reach the turn in 31. A bogey on No. 15 briefly slowed her charge, but she answered immediately with birdies on the 16th and No. 18 to finish with a 66 that would have led most opening rounds.
Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki also emerged as an early contender. The LPGA of Japan Tour standout birdied three straight holes beginning at the fourth, recovered from a bogey at the eighth with three more birdies over her final eight holes, including one on the demanding 18th, to match Ryu at five-under.
France’s Celine Boutier eagled the par-5 sixth and added two birdies in a solid 67 to share fourth with Yealimi Noh, who bounced back from an early bogey with five birdies.
“It’s really nice that I knew I hit some good shots, but I got lucky bounces over the pot bunkers. When it’s your way, it’s really your way. I knew I had a really good putter today too,” said Thitikul.
“The majors really test our games mentally and physically. When you play good in a major, even top five or top 10, you feel great and you have more confidence going to play just regular tournaments. It’s about beating the course when you’re in a major.”
The five-time Ladies European Tour winner also smiled when reflecting on the course where she made headlines as a teenager eight years ago while using her old name Atthaya.
“I should be better than when I was 15 years old,” she said. “It played the same. I think there’s still bunkers in the way and when you play good you keep the momentum going. My strategy is to beat my score from when I was 15,” said Thitikul.
She added: “I had really good memories on the first hole. I remember the first day from 2018 and on the first hole, I hit it very close to the pin. That’s the best memory. Then making the cut was also a good memory, but I finished last, so I want to keep improving on what I did last time.”
Ryu remained equally pleased with her own opening effort despite missing out on the outright lead.
“Today felt so tough because in the morning before the round there was a little rain, so I thought, ‘Please no rain today.’ The weather was pretty good but the wind was still hard. My golf is pretty good. I’m happy to finish with a birdie,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ko holed a lengthy birdie putt on the final hole to salvage a 71, while Korda recovered from early bogeys with birdies on the sixth and eighth before further mistakes on Nos. 11 and 15 left her with a 73, tied for 53rd and hovering near the projected cut line.