Jeeno Thitikul came in to the final round of 2025 KPGA Women's PGA Championship looking to break through and capture her first LPGA major on a difficult host course in Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco.
Thitikul is 22 years old, and she is in the field at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship because of her status on the LPGA Tour this season as a five-time winner.
For Thitikul, her journey to the pinnacle of women's professional golf is a remarkable story.
Thitikul was born in Thailand, and she has accomplished a lot in the game already. She turned pro in 2020, three years after becoming the youngest player to ever win a professional golf tournament.
Thitikul is a big winner already
Atthaya Thitikul has won five times on the LPGA, two coming in the 2022 season, two coming in 2024 (Dow Championship, CME Group Tour Championship) and once in 2025 at the Mizuho Americas Open. In taking the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship, Thitikul -- whose name is Atthaya but goes by the nickname Jeeno -- won the biggest first-place prize in women's pro golf at $4 million.
She has already been No. 1 in the world, and she has finished in the top 10 in six of her last 15 major starts.
Entering this week, Thitikul was ranked 2nd in the Rolex Women's World Golf Ranking. She won the 2024 Race to the CME Globe. She could become No. 1 in the world with a win and a finish by Nelly Korda outside the top 10.
What a win at the Grant Thornton Invitational means
With a win, Thitikul would earn her half of the winner's share of 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship payout, taking home $1,800,000.
