In search of her fourth win of the year, Jeeno Thitikul moved up the leaderboard at Hoakalei Country Club on Friday by keeping her card clean for the second day in a row.
The former world No. 1 shares the lead with Germany’s Polly Mack heading into the weekend in Hawaii after posting a 7-under 65 to maintain a bogey-free streak through 36 holes.
“I’m hitting the irons pretty well, I didn’t expect to be that good having taken the past month off,” said Thitikul, who traveled to Austria last month on vacation with her coach and sister.
Her final two holes were perhaps her most impressive. She saved par with a tremendous up and down at the par-4 17th before sinking her birdie putt on the green at 18 — moving to 12 under on the tournament by conquering the 532-yard, par 5.
“Golf will never be perfect,” Thitikul said. “We’re all trying to make it to have a chance, trying to bounce back when things are not going our way.”
Thitikul won back at home in Thailand in February, posting a 24 under at the Honda LPGA Thailand. She also won the Mizuho Americas Open in May and then the Standard Portland Classic in August.
Mack closed in on the co-lead late by completing a bogey-free opening two rounds of her own. A birdie at 18 for the second consecutive day got her to 12 under.
“The wind plays to my advantage there,” Mack said of the final hole. “It’s like just perfect to my drive down the middle of the fairway. Had a good I want to say just over 200 meters, 220 yards into the green or to the pin; a little bit of downwind.”
She left herself with a 6-foot birdie try which she converted.
“The outcome is either way okay, but I was glad when it fell,” said Mack.
South Korea’s Ina Yoon and Italy’s Carolina Melgrati sits T-3 at 11 under.
