Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul flirted with disaster with three holes left to play Sunday, but quickly battled back to win the LPGA Lotte Championship presented by Hoakalei.
Thitikul presented Ina Yoon of Korea with an opportunity to come from behind and win late, but then got it together on the last two holes, while Yoon fell back into second place.
Thitikul shot 67-65-67-68, and took home a $450,000 first-place prize after dancing the event’s traditional hula at the Ewa Beach country club.
“I mean, my 16 (where she double-bogeyed) is even better than my dance,” Thitikul said with a laugh.
She described the final round as a rollercoaster.
“I won, but I don’t know how,” she said. “But the dance (was) the hardest … not the golf.”
Thitikul’s 11th victory put her fourth on the all-time LPGA Tour money list.
“Taxes,” was her first reaction to that, with another big laugh.
Although Yoon lurked closely through the round, Thitikul kept the lead and appeared to be cruising to her fourth victory of the year. But the double bogey on No. 16 put her in a tie with Yoon.
Thitikul then birdied the par 4 No. 17, while Yoon bogeyed it.
Thitikul said she learned long ago that bad shots and bad holes are inevitable, and how to put them out of her mind.
“I feel like that’s what I play golf for,” she said.
Thitikul birdied the 18th to finish with 68 for the day and 21-under par for the tournament. Yoon also shot 68 on Sunday after parring the last hole and completing the event at 18 under.
“It was super fun today,” Yoon said after her second LPGA Tour runner-up finish in her second year on tour. ” Jeeno played great, and my first nine holes was putting-wise awesome.”
Japan’s Miyu Yamashita was third at 17 under and Auston Kim of the U.S. fourth a stroke behind her.
Yoon made birdies on four of the first five holes. She bogeyed No. 8, but came back with birdies on 9 and 10, positioning her one shot behind Thitikul.
Yoon dropped back with a bogey on No. 14 and Thitikul added another stroke to her lead with a birdie 2 on the 15th hole.
But then came No. 16, where the wheels fell off for Thitikul. Fortunately for her, she had a couple of spares.
Youmin Hwang, the 2025 champion, shot 69 on Sunday and finished at 5-under par for the event, tied for 55th.
Allisen Corpuz shot 71 on Sunday to finish at 8 under and T28. The Punahou product closed strong with birdies on 16 and 18.
“I feel like there is always something to work on, but pretty happy with where the game is at,” said Corpuz, the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champion. “Yeah, really excited for the Asia stretch and for play to finish out the year.”
Lani Luafalealo of Kapolei Golf Club was among those who did not make the cut after Friday’s second round.
