Thitikul’s birdie streak leads to first-round lead at Women’s PGA

GOLF

Top-ranked Korda even par despite nagging neck injury

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Jean Thitikul hits a tee shot on the second hole during Thursday’s first round of the Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament in Frisco, Tex. LM OTERO — ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Jenno Thitikul walked off the fifth green after a double bogey in the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship reminding herself to stay patient and that some missed shots are going to happen.

“Majors, you’re going to miss anyway,” said Thitikul, who’s No. 2 in the women’s world ranking. “A way to bounce back, it’s more important.”

Thitikul certainly found a way to do that on a hot and windy Thursday, finishing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke lead over Minjee Lee (69). Haeran Ryu, Rio Takeda and Somi Lee all shot 70.

That only hole over par for Thitikul was followed by a par before she made five birdies in a six-hole stretch, with a 60-footer on the par-3 eighth hole in the middle of three in a row.

Thitikul, who lives in the Dallas area, needed only 25 putts on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco. Her makes measured 199 1/2 feet.

Thitikul played with top-ranked Nelly Korda (72) and No. 3 Lydia Ko (75).

Korda, who reaggravated a neck injury with a shot out of the rough during a practice round Monday, opened with seven consecutive pars in a round that had two birdies and two bogeys. Ko was the only in the group to make a birdie at the 513-yard, par-5 first hole, but didn’t make another the rest of the day.

While Korda said she doesn’t feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain “just with rotation” of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable to sleep at night.

Korda opened with seven pars, including at the 317-yard, par-4 seventh hole, where she hit a 294-yard drive into a valley just short of the green. Her initial pitch from there ricocheted off the edge of the green and rolled back down the slope to where she was. Korda hit her next shot to 2 feet.

That fifth hole for Thitkul started with a drive out of bounds and a penalty. Her birdie streak began with a nearly 18-footer at No. 7 before the long one at the eighth. She rolled in a 35-foot birdie at No. 17, and just missed making another one more than twice that long on the 434-yard, par-4 18th.

Two-time major winner Lee, a 29-year-old Australian, hasn’t won since 2023. She opened Thursday with a bogey and finished with two bogeys over the last three holes. In between, she made seven birdies.

Scheffler, Eckroat share lead at Travelers

Scottie Scheffler had one of those rare rounds where he hit a shot so pure it makes his confidence soar. So many other shots were pretty good, too, and they added to an 8-under 62 to share the lead Thursday with Austin Eckroat in the Travelers Championship.

The week after a rough-and-tumble U.S. Open was a welcome break for so many at the TPC River Highlands, even with the rough just as long (but not quite as thick) as soaked Oakmont.

Rory McIlroy played bogey-free for a 66 and didn’t look to break too much of a sweat.

Scheffler faced the hot afternoon when a refreshing breeze turned into a strong wind, and he wasted no time getting in the mix with four birdies in six holes and a 30 on the front nine.