CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 24, 2024

Jeeno Thitikul

Tiburon Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, very pleased to be joined by the winner of the CME Group Tour Championship, Jeeno Thitikul. Jeeno, let's start on 17, the eagle. Just take us through that hole. What was going through your mind?

JEENO THITIKUL: It's going to be funny story to be honest on 17. Everyone might see all the good shots on the second shot, right? But honest answer is I hit behind the ball a little bit and then it's just lucky enough to carry, and then, you know, like running and then had actually a tough putt for the downhill putt.

I think Ronni putting before me so she give me a read a little bit because she already putt. It just help me to like hole that putt.

Q. And then to go on to 18, standing over the putt knowing what Angel had just made, what was going through your mind as you were standing over the putt?

JEENO THITIKUL: To be honest I haven't thought about that I going to have a chance for to hole the putt for the win at all, because like I think Angel Yin has really, really good round. She holes a lot of putts.

I think after 16 then she birdie and she had two-stroke lead, and then it's just like two hole left.

I didn't even know I'm going to like did eagle and birdie because I thought like birdie, birdie and it's good enough for me to have a good chance for playoff.

Q. And take us through the day, the back and forth with Angel and all that. Take us through the round as a whole.

JEENO THITIKUL: Yeah, I think everyone play really good golf in my group today; especially Angel play really good. I don't think she had bogey at all, right? She bogey-free I guess. Right? Right?

Yes. So that's a really good round that she had. It's just like give me goosebump to giving me a chance to make birdies and maybe like the best that I can do is playoff.

Q. With that $4 million check you took home $5 million in a week. Has that hit you, that you were able to claim that amount of money in the course of five or six days?

JEENO THITIKUL: No. Like I said, my million is good enough, at Aon. I think I'm at the point that I'm not really thinking about the prize money that much.

Like Lydia Ko said in Grant Thornton, we're not here for the prize money. We here for growing the game of golf more.

Q. How do you feel like you did that today with your incredible performance out there and all the fans to watch you and Angel have that showdown?

JEENO THITIKUL: That word like pop up in my mind on 18 tee box, that we not here for prize money, we here for like grow the game of golf. Just like trying to inspiring them and trying to do my best out there on 18 because I know 18 is not an easy hole that we had. Like I have 6-iron, which is kind of long irons, too.

I hit a really good on that shot, that's why giving me like short birdies.

Q. I know if you look at all of your results it looks like it's not been an easy season, but a pretty good season on the golf course. I know you had some challenges off the golf course. And even not getting a win last year until June of this year. Can you put into perspective what getting this big after win means to you over the last couple years in your LPGA journey?

JEENO THITIKUL: Yeah, I mean, started with my rookie year. I think it's really good year I have experience in my life, Rookie of the Year, two win on the LPGA, and then that's kind of like set my mind like high expectation for second year.

Last year I was like put too much pressure on myself and I'm not having fun on the course, not smiling, not being myself represent on the course when I play. I just like realizing I think beginning of this year that I have injured and now it's like after injured I just doubt, have a lot doubt in myself that am I going to be able to play good golf again or like the same golf again that I have.

And then until today, standing here with the trophy, it's more than I can ask for. And then I knew that I have like close to lifting lots of trophy but haven't done it yet, but done it here is kind of release and then put everything down and then can breathe now.

You know, like I will say injure changing my perspective and also my mentality a little bit.

Q. Ronni was joking in here that you were going to take her to dinner when you won a million. Are you going to take her to dinner now that you won $4 million?

JEENO THITIKUL: I never let her pay. Yo, I never let you pay at all. I was like, I'm paying, I'm paying. She's like, no, I'm going to pay.

And I know you're going to ask that answer about me and Ronni feel like on the course. You know, after I putted I hole-out on 18, Ronni is like come right away. Like I knew you going to make it.

I was like, yeah. Thank you so much for like being here. You know, like in Maybank we had a really good battle between us. I was like, I had 66; she had 65. Just one stroke.

But our friendship is going to still the same. We still, you know, next generation that we trying to do our best and then we not carry -- like I said, we not carry all the things that happened on the course outside the course.

Q. Big day for your caddie, too. You said you wanted to give him a big check. How long has he been with you and how much has he helped you?

JEENO THITIKUL: I think he been with me since I was 16, and then the first like tournaments that he was on my bag we won; it's Ladies European Tour. That time I was an amateur, not a professional yet.

I think it's like 2019, uh-huh. That's the first one and then we won. I will stick with him from that time until now.

Q. Wow. You know, you've said that this isn't about the money. Curious if there was anything you saw when you were Black Friday shopping that you didn't buy that you're going to go back for now?

JEENO THITIKUL: Oh, I just open it up. Like I just told my manager today, like we order it like two days ago but we planning to ship like next week because we have to sign kind of thing.

I saw it. It's discount like 100 bucks. I was like, can you cancel that and then make a purchase again, because it's 100 bucks discount.

Q. What are you buying?

JEENO THITIKUL: Just Dyson, dying my hair.

Q. Jeeno, saw on the telecast on the 16th when Angel made her birdie putt you had a little bit of a reaction under your breathe as you were looking at your scorecard. What were you thinking in that moment?

JEENO THITIKUL: To be honest, in my side I thought she going to be -- to be honest, I don't know that I going to hole my eagle and then birdie. It's like insane if I can do that.

But living the dream, because like I know that she had a really good golf today and then she hole all the putts that she had.

But like I still had to do on my side, on my part, on my control, 100% that I have. That's just how it happened.

THE MODERATOR: One last one if me. I know you told everyone the plan is to go to Disney World after this. You told Golf Channel you have never been. Do you have an itinerary of what you want to do, really want to do? Any rides?

JEENO THITIKUL: Mickey Mouse. Taking a picture with Mickey Mouse and then maybe get some -- I don't know. I'm not a good like person who planned the thing much. I don't know yet what they have there, but I'm going with my like friends and then also Ronni going to join for Tuesday.

Yeah, she say like, I don't like Disney. I was like, yo, I bought a ticket for you. Just go. Just go. Should be fun for both of us.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Jeeno. Congrats again.

JEENO THITIKUL: Thank you so much, guys.