World No.1. Olympian. Matcha lover. Eight-time LPGA Tour winner.
Jeeno Thitikul is a woman of many titles, but it’s the last one that really hits home.
“It’s amazing. It’s crazy. It was so crazy,” Thitikul said of winning the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.
“I didn’t expect that I got to win that tournament… you know, like, first or second tournament of the year, you don’t know how your game’s look like. You don’t know what you’re going to expecting on the course after, like, a long break,” she added.
In 2017, the Thai native first competed in the Honda LPGA Thailand event as an amateur, just days after her 14th birthday. Nine years later and just two days after turning 23, she lifted the 2026 trophy in front of friends and family, to secure her first win on home soil and eighth victory on the tour.
“It’s like the biggest moment that I remember, not lifting the trophy, but I saw my grandfather,” Thitikul said. “He called my name on the course, and then I walked to him, and then I hug him, and tears in my eyes. I think that is the best moment ever.”
Family is incredibly important to Thitikul, who said she lives to be able to do things for the people she loves, like her mother, whom she hugged in an emotional moment after she defeated Chizzy Iwai by one stroke at Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.
Her grandfather, in particular, holds a special place in her golf journey.
“The funny story is, no one in my family played golf at all. Like, literally, zero,” Thitikul explained.
“I’m the only one who played golf, because my dad’s a huge like sport guy… And then my grandfather, it’s the one who introducing me to golf.”
‘A++++’ victory! Thitikul wins in front of family at LPGA Thailand
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul won the 2026 Honda LPGA Thailand in front of friends and family for her first tour triumph on home soil. Watch the highlights and hear from the proud champion.
She said after she was born her dad and grandfather were chatting about prospective sports for her to play. Her father was adamant that it had to be an individual sport, so that she wouldn’t have to wait for teammates or staff to practice and he also wanted something she’d be able to play for a long time. At first, they were considering having Jeeno take up tennis but eventually landed on golf.
“My grandfather read a newspaper about Tiger Woods at that time, and then he’s just like, wow… He makes a lot of money. It can be like her career in the future. She’s got talent… I think they came up with that idea,” Thitikul said.
It’s safe to say, the family’s bet on golf has paid off. After the win in Thailand, Thitikul said she knew it wasn’t as big as winning a major, but to her it was more personal. When you look at the journey from the young girl who was introduced to the game to the woman who is now on top of it, it’s easy to understand why.
Despite the wins and the victory celebrations, she admitted she still can’t believe she’s the top-ranked player in women’s golf.
“I never dream of being No. 1 in the world. I think just maybe reaching, like, you know, an LPGA status card, it’s my dream, and then just maybe a win on the tour, it’s my biggest dream,” Thitikul said.
While those dreams were quickly achieved, there is one that is outstanding — winning her first major title.
“I think I focus on every tournaments. But I mean, obviously major is the one that every people want it. I do want it as well,” she said. “Hopefully one day.”
She’s come close. Thitikul has nine top-10 finishes in majors, including a heart-breaking playoff loss last year at the Amundi Evian Championship. Her best finish at the Chevron is a tie for fourth in 2023 — but this is a new venue, shifting 40 miles south from The Club at Carlton Woods to Memorial Park in Houston.
The world No. 1 did not participate in last week’s JM Eagle LA Championship, but said she’s been working with her coach, who flew in from Thailand, to fine-tune her game and swing in preparation for the first of five majors this season.
And if she were to don the white bathrobe at the end of this week and capture major No. 1? Thitikul hopes it would include a victory leap — into some kind of water — in Houston.
“Surreal, for sure, shocked,” she said of what the moment would feel like. “I want to jump in the pond, if they have it.”
Well, something like a pond.
Off the course, Thitikul enjoys building Lego sets in her downtime and is a self-proclaimed foodie who loves to indulge in sushi and Korean barbeque, as well as Vietnamese and Thai cuisines. But her true love is matcha and she’s always on the hunt for the popular green tea powder that’s used to make lattes and various Instagram-worthy beverages. “I want to find a really good matcha in every tournament,” she said.
In fact, she’s become so well known for her matcha content on social media, that fans send her the pricey powder to keep her fueled at home and on the road. “Right now, I have more than 30 or 40 boxes,” she said of the gifts. “They all give it to me. I never had a chance to buy it.”
Add matcha to the list of perks for the world No. 1.
Hannah Green has four victories across the LPGA and LET in 2026, including last week in Los Angeles. She’s now focused on winning her second major title at the Chevron Championship.
