LPGA Tour rookie Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand set a new 18-hole tournament scoring record with a bogey-free, 9-under 63 at the BMW Ladies Championship to take the lead by one shot. Her round featured a hole-out eagle on the par-4 13th, her 10th this season.
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“I had a great round today, really solid round today, especially that eagle. First time I holed out in a competition round. It’s funny. It was 102 yards to the pin and my caddie just said leave it short it should be really easy. I’m kind of like, not really listen to him because I think it’s short already to even have that much spin, and then just be aggressive to the pin. That’s how it worked.”
Thitikul has had two wins this season, at the JTBC Classic and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. A win this week would move her from No. 2 to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. She could also move up with a solo fourth or better finish and No. 3 Minjee Lee doesn’t win.
“I’d say today is my day but every day, it’s not your day. Just be happy with your day, your round. But tomorrow, it’s the past,” said Thitikul. “Every day I go out and play, I just focus on what I have to do. I think about golf, about how I’m going to hit every shot. I’m not really thinking about the awards or what I’m going to achieve that much.”
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Sixteen-year-old Korean amateur Minsol Kim (a), the 2022 Korean Junior Golf Championship winner, lies in second place after carding an 8-under 64 in her LPGA Tour debut.
“When I was younger, I actually came as a gallery (member) to watch the BMW Ladies Championship, and I remember thinking that Sung Hyun Park was really cool. So today to play side-by-side with her, think it was a real honor,” said Kim. “Initially, I was really nervous (today) but after the first hole, I thought that it was quite fun, and so I wasn’t really feeling the pressure, and I was enjoying myself. I think that really helped me today.”
Americans Andrea Lee and Alison Lee are tied in third place at 6-under alongside South Korean rookie Yaeeun Hong
“Here, because of the geography, it seems that the wind kind of swirls towards the upper part and so I’ve had shots where it was too short or it was too long or kind of sideways, and now I kind of know how the wind is blowing, so for tomorrow I can do better,” said Kim. “I think my putting went really well today and that helped my game. Personally, I thought that I can do better with my second shots, so that’s what I’m going to really try and improve tomorrow.”
