Thitikul edges into Women’s PGA Championship lead

First-round leaderboard for the Women’s PGA Championship:

-4 J Thitikul (Tha), -3 M Lee (Aus), -2 R Takeda (Jpn), H Ryu (Kor), Y Noh (US), S Lee (Kor)

Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand shot a 68 to take the Women’s PGA Championship early on.

At the third of the five LPGA majors this year, world number two Thitikul, 22, rallied from a double bogey to win on four under par.

After a rollercoaster-style round of 69, which included seven birdies and four bogeys, Australia’s Minjee Lee was one shot further back.

Nelly Korda, the world’s number one, missed out on a round of 72 with two birdies and two bogeys.

Leona Maguire from Ireland was also on par, while Georgia Hall from England was a 73.

Thitikul, who is yet to win a major, said, “I think my putter went really well today.”

“I made putts at] seven, eight, and nine, which increase the confidence up making the turn to the back nine, but we had a lot of breeze going going and more than the back nine.”

I actually told myself to just be patient and focused on the next shot because [in the]majors you]are] going to miss anyway. How do you recover? It is more crucial.

The heat is cited as a contributing factor by Lee and Korda, who are attempting to compete at the Fields Ranch East course in Texas.

I just kept asking my doctor, “Can you give me another cup of water, or can you give me another?” Lee asked.

“I don’t believe there is enough]water available.” It is extremely hot.

Korda continued, “I’m still cooling down right now because it’s hot.”