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 carries the solo lead 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.
Germany’s Polly Mack was closing in on the co-lead late with a bogey-free second round of her own.
She sits tied with South Korea’s Ina Yoon and Italy’s Carolina Melgrati, who got in at 11 under.
