NAPLES, Fla. — Gino Titikul had nine birdies for the second day in a row, this time posting an 8-under 64, allowing the Thai star to pull away Saturday and build a six-shot lead heading into the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship.
Titicle, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, is one round away from sweeping all the awards on the LPGA Tour, along with a check for $4 million.
She almost won the LPGA Player of the Year and the Vale Trophy for lowest scoring average, and could set an LPGA record depending on her final round.
Nelly Korda shot a 65 but was still behind. She was six strokes behind Thailand’s Pajari Anannarkhan, who also shot a 65 at Tiburon Golf Club on another warm and relatively calm day.
Titicle had a 22-under 196. He won last year with a 22 under par and made it clear that his work is not done yet.
“I want to go for birdies, birdies, birdies,” he said with a stress-free smile.
After a bogey on the par-5 first hole, Titicle regained momentum with four birdies over a five-hole stretch. On the back nine, he made four birdies in a row and took control.
The final pairing will be the No. 1 and No. 2 players in women’s golf, but Titicle’s play this week still feels like a mismatch.
“I was just trying to do the same thing,” Titicle said. “I’m just trying to hit the fairway and find the best thing I can do to get closer to the pin and make the putt. It’s a simple strategy.”
He has already made 24 birdies in 54 holes this week. By the time she entered her final round, she had only missed five fairways and six greens.
Korda was six shots behind Sunday, but had no intention of doing anything different.
“You are competing hard and trying to win, but you also have to play the game and not get too ahead of yourself,” she said. “Because if you get a little too ahead of yourself or try a little too hard, mistakes start to creep in and it becomes less beneficial.”
It’s her last chance to avoid a second winless season in three years on the LPGA. The exception was last year, when he won seven games, including his second major championship.
Anannarkhan was the 60th and final player to qualify for the season-ending tournament, and all 60 players had a chance to win the $4 million prize, regardless of their placement. She made the most of her opportunity by chipping in on the sixth hole for eagle.
“It’s very nice,” she said. “Going into this week, I think I had some good opportunities this week and considering how I’ve played this season, I’m really happy with how I’ve played. It’s great to see the results show and things moving in a positive direction.”
Kim Sei-young, who played in the final group with Titikul, had to settle for a 68 for fourth place, seven strokes behind. Gaby Lopez (Mexico) posted her lowest round of the week, a 62.
But it all starts with Titikul, who has a chance to join South Korea’s Jinyoung Ko as the only consecutive winners of the CME Group Tour Championship.
