World No. 1 and defending champion Jeeno Thitikul leads the CME Group Tour Championship by a dominant six strokes heading into the final round.
Thitikul entered the third round with an already commanding three-stroke lead, thanks to a -9 63 in the second round, and nearly matched that number on Saturday.
Despite getting off to a tough start, with a bogey on the par 5 first hole, Thitikul made up for it and more almost immediately. Thitikul made birdies on holes two, four, five and six to get to three under for the day and extend her lead.
On the back nine, Thitikul kept her foot on the gas pedal, making four consecutive birdies on 11, 12, 13 and 14. She finished up with a birdie on 17 to get to -8 for the day and a mind-numbing -22 for the tournament.
For context, Thitikul won this event on the same course in 2024 with a total score of -22 for the four rounds.
It is pretty impossible to poke any holes in Thitikul’s game, though her ball striking wasn’t as perfect Saturday as it was in round two. Thitikul has hit 37/42 fairways so far and 48/54 greens with only 80 putts. It has been pure domination in every facet of the game.
Though Thitikul is well clear of everyone, world No. 2 Nelly Korda put in another strong performance Saturday to hold a place tied for second with Pajaree Anannarukarn. Korda had another strong day with 13/14 fairways hit and 16/18 greens in regulation while putting well once again. Korda has missed just three fairways all week.
The final round of the CME Group Tour Championship kicks off Sunday on NBC.
