Thailand native Atthaya Thitikul shot the round of the week on Saturday at the Maybank Championship, carding a bogey-free, 10-under 62 on Moving Day to sit in a tie for second at 17-under, one shot back of the 54-hole lead held by rookie Rose Zhang.
After starting her day with a pair of pars, the 20-year-old made back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4, grabbing two more birdies on the par-4 6th hole and par-3 8th hole to turn in 32. Thitikul parred No. 10 before rattling off three consecutive birdies on holes 11, 12 and 13, repeating the feat on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to move to 10-under on the day and 17-under for the tournament. She made par on No. 18 to ultimately card a back-nine 30 and post a 62, her second-lowest career round on the LPGA Tour.
It's the first time that Thitikul has recorded a round of 62 or better since day two of the 2022 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, which she went on to win, defeating Danielle Kang in a two-hole playoff. It’s her lowest career third-round score, besting her previous benchmark of 64 by two shots, and her 54-hole total of 199 is her second-lowest three-round score on the LPGA Tour.
She has only made one bogey in three rounds at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club – Thitikul bogeyed the first hole of her week on Thursday – and said that the difference-maker on day three in Malaysia was her putting, something that wasn’t working well yesterday, a second round that saw her make just one birdie and 17 pars.
“I would say made more putts. Yesterday, I didn't hit that bad, but just couldn't roll it in. Today, I think I hit it closer than yesterday too, and also make more putt than yesterday,” said Thitikul, who is averaging 27 putts per round this week. “I tried to be on the positive side, which is like at least I'm bogey-free for yesterday. Also trying to give myself a lot of chance to make a birdie or make a putt. It's kind of frustrating when you're not making putts while you're hitting good. But today, just maybe more commitment and trust in myself than yesterday.”
The two-time LPGA Tour winner is making her 19th start of the 2023 LPGA Tour season this week at the Maybank Championship, and it’s been surprising that she has yet to find the winner’s circle this year. In her 18 previous events, Thitikul has recorded 11 top-10 finishes, five of which have been top fives, including a tie for fourth at The Chevron Championship and a tie for fifth at last week’s BMW Ladies Championship.
Statistically, Thitikul was ranked second in both scoring average (69.95) and rounds under par (46) ahead of this week in Malaysia, and according to KPMG Performance Insights, she was ranked fifth in strokes gained total (+1.83) on the LPGA Tour this season. She’s come close to picking up that third career win quite a few times this year, and this is her seventh time sitting within five of the lead going into the final round.
Hit the green on all 18 holes Saturday 👀@Jeeno_atthaya | @maybankchampion pic.twitter.com/03wfkeaUjt
— LPGA (@LPGA) October 28, 2023
A lot of players would be frustrated not to have found a victory yet with that sort of record, but not Thitikul. She just wants to soak in another moment in contention on Sunday at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club and is looking forward to another opportunity to capture her third career LPGA Tour title, especially considering how close she is to her native Thailand and the fact that she’s headed home right after the Maybank Championship.
“This is my first professional tournament in Malaysia and just my second time in Malaysia. I didn't expect going to be a lot of fans like this,” said Thitikul. “It’s not that big (of a) country, and I don't know (if) golf like impact all the people to come out that much. Really interesting to see all the people come out, and also nice that they're cheering me on as well.
“I hope like I could enjoy (tomorrow), enjoy the course, I could enjoy me on the course, and then I could enjoy the challenge of it for tomorrow. I hope I can finish before the rain. I'm going back to Thailand the day after. (A win) would mean the world to me and all my team. If it happens, it would be happy, but if it's not, I still happy with all the result or all the thing I have put it all in here in this week.”
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