Jeeno Thitikul carded a 5-under-par 67 Thursday at Mountain Ridge Country Club, overcoming an early stumble to sit near the top of the leaderboard at the Mizuho Americas Open.

"I hit it quite good, which is why I didn't have to scramble that much," Thitikul said. "I open it really good with a birdie putt on the first hole. I just tell myself to be patient on this golf course."

Despite a bogey on the par-4 third hole, Thitikul found her rhythm quickly, anchoring a front-nine 32 with an eagle and three birdies. The highlight of her round came at the par-5 eighth, where she recovered from a wayward tee shot to reach the green in two and drain a 20-foot uphill putt for eagle.

"Luckily... the ball stayed up high in the rough, which is I can be able to get on the green in two," Thitikul said. " And then I had like 20 to 21-foot putts and I holed it because it's uphill putt, right to left. Better than left to right for me for sure."

After a steady string of six consecutive pars to start the back nine, the Thailand native added another birdie on the 16th hole. Her consistency was highlighted on the par-4 16th, where she executed a disciplined half-pitching wedge approach to set up a critical birdie. The clean stretch allowed her to protect her front-nine gains and finish the day without a single blemish after the third hole.

She attributed much of the afternoon's success to her calculations on yardages and iron play, which allowed her to attack pins despite the increasing complexity of the course.

Though rain on Wednesday provided some relief, Thitikul noted that the layout continues to present a challenge reminiscent of a major championship. While the front nine played shorter Thursday morning due to calm winds, she expects the difficulty to ramp up as the weekend approaches.

"I think the only things that make it a little easy is the front nine played shorter than when we played a couple days in practice rounds, maybe because there wasn't as much wind in the early morning," Thitikul said.

She observed course staff watering the greens frequently during practice rounds, noting that the moisture from Wednesday's rain was essential for playability.

“Luckily we got rain yesterday, which is going to help it a little bit more,” she said. “But I think if they were not watering the greens and if we get a real breeze coming in a couple of days, it should be tough for sure. That's why I'm saying it's like a major.”

The eight-time LPGA Tour winner is in a strong position heading into Friday’s second round as she looks to maintain the momentum from her 5-under par start.

Jeeno Thitikul Surges into Early Contention at Mizuho Americas Open

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