\n<\/p>\n
World No.1. Olympian<\/a><\/span>. Matcha lover<\/a><\/span>. Eight-time LPGA Tour winner.<\/p>\n Jeeno Thitikul is a woman of many titles, but it\u2019s the last one that really hits home.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s amazing. It\u2019s crazy. It was so crazy,\u201d Thitikul said of winning the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t expect that I got to win that tournament\u2026 you know, like, first or second tournament of the year, you don\u2019t know how your game\u2019s look like. You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re going to expecting on the course after, like, a long break,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n In 2017<\/a><\/span>, 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<\/a><\/span>, to secure her first win on home soil and eighth victory on the tour.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like the biggest moment that I remember, not lifting the trophy, but I saw my grandfather,\u201d Thitikul said. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Pattaya Old Course.<\/p>\n Her grandfather, in particular, holds a special place in her golf journey.<\/p>\n \u201cThe funny story is, no one in my family played golf at all. Like, literally, zero,\u201d Thitikul explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the only one who played golf, because my dad\u2019s a huge like sport guy… And then my grandfather, it\u2019s the one who introducing me to golf.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/bsp-mpxplayer><\/p>\n ‘A++++’ victory! Thitikul wins in front of family at LPGA Thailand<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019t have to wait for teammates or staff to practice and he also wanted something she\u2019d be able to play for a long time. At first, they were considering having Jeeno take up tennis but eventually landed on golf.<\/p>\n \u201cMy grandfather read a newspaper about Tiger Woods at that time, and then he\u2019s just like, wow… He makes a lot of money. It can be like her career in the future. She\u2019s got talent\u2026 I think they came up with that idea,\u201d Thitikul said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say, the family\u2019s bet on golf has paid off. After the win in Thailand, Thitikul said she knew it wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s easy to understand why.<\/p>\n Despite the wins and the victory celebrations, she admitted she still can\u2019t believe she\u2019s the top-ranked player in women\u2019s golf.<\/p>\n \u201cI never dream of being No. 1 in the world. I think just maybe reaching, like, you know, an LPGA status card, it\u2019s my dream, and then just maybe a win on the tour, it\u2019s my biggest dream,\u201d Thitikul said.<\/p>\n While those dreams were quickly achieved, there is one that is outstanding \u2014 winning her first major title.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d she said. \u201cHopefully one day.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s 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 \u2014 but this is a new venue, shifting 40 miles south from The Club at Carlton Woods to Memorial Park in Houston.<\/p>\n The world No. 1 did not participate in last week\u2019s JM Eagle LA Championship, but said she\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 into some kind of water \u2014 in Houston.<\/p>\n \u201cSurreal, for sure, shocked,\u201d she said of what the moment would feel like. \u201cI want to jump in the pond, if they have it.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, something like a pond.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s always on the hunt for the popular green tea powder that\u2019s used to make lattes and various Instagram-worthy beverages. \u201cI want to find a really good matcha in every tournament,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In fact, she\u2019s become so well known for her matcha content on social media<\/a><\/span>, that fans send her the pricey powder to keep her fueled at home and on the road. \u201cRight now, I have more than 30 or 40 boxes,\u201d she said of the gifts. \u201cThey all give it to me. I never had a chance to buy it.\u201d<\/p>\n Add matcha to the list of perks for the world No. 1.<\/p>\n