Thitikul won last week’s tournament in her native Thailand and is among nine of the top 10 players competing in the Singapore LPGA stop at Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong Course.
American Auston Kim birdied two of her last three holes for a 66 and one stroke lead over China’s Yan Liu. Five players were in third place with 68s, including No. 12 Haeran Ryu.
Defending champion Lydia Ko had a 70, as did Brooke Henderson.
Kim said she opened with a 78 at the tournament in Singapore last year.
“When I think about my game and myself as a golfer since last year… I mean obviously it feels great to score well. But I just feel like I’m handling things a lot better and I’ve also been talking to my mental coach,” Kim said.
“There’s a lot of things I’ve changed and a lot of things I feel like are improving. Today was a testament to what we’ve been working on, and I’m working hard on what I can control.”
In addition to Thitikul, the top-ranked players well outside the lead included Charley Hull in third and Minjee Lee in fourth, who each shot 72.
Nelly Korda, number 2, is the only player from the top 10 who is not in Singapore. The tournament is the second of three stops on the Asian swing of the LPGA’s first year, with the last coming next week on Hainan Island, China.
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