Jeeno Thitikul takes the lead at the CME Group Tour Championship with a flawless 63, while Esther Henseleit slips down the leaderboard.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul surged to the top of the leaderboard at the CME Group Tour Championship with a bogey-free 63 in the second round. Playing alongside Sei Young Kim, Thitikul now holds a three-shot lead over her closest competitor.
Thitikul dominates with precision and consistency
Thitikul’s round featured nine birdies, including a stretch of four consecutive birdies from holes 8 to 11. Her precision was remarkable: she hit 13 of 14 fairways, 17 of 18 greens in regulation, and needed only 26 putts. According to KPMG Performance Insights, no other player has recorded more rounds of 63 or better since 2022.
Thitikul is also in contention for two major season awards: the Rolex Player of the Year, where she is competing with Miyu Yamashita, and the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, where she is in the mix with Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee, and Yamashita. Her current average puts her on pace to surpass Annika Sorenstam’s record.
"Every time I’m walking up the 18th, I remind myself what happened last year."@HopeBarnett_ caught up with Jeeno after her 9-under 63 🙌 pic.twitter.com/FGoFed7RQG
— LPGA (@LPGA) November 22, 2025
Henseleit struggles after strong start
Esther Henseleit, who began the tournament with a solid opening round, fell back with a 74 on Friday, dropping to T37. She started positively with a birdie on the 4th hole to reach -5 overall, but struggled to hit greens in regulation and carded three bogeys on the front nine. Despite further mistakes on the back nine, she managed to stabilize her round with back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17, keeping her in the middle of the pack.