World No. 1 has a pressure deflator. You say only 4 words

Jeeno Thitiful feels grateful, so sarcastically. She has just been reminded that in the last four matches at this week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship, she has not finished outside the top ten, which she was meant to be proud of.

But Thitiful chose to see it differently.

“Thank you for the pressure,” he said, then added:

“No worries.”

That drew a smile, and the mark was thicker than any lesson.

The pressure, it seems, is everywhere in Thitikul. It was at last week’s Honda LPGA Thailand event, Thitikul’s home event, a tournament she considers on par with any major in terms of value. Then there are the majors themselves. He won everything – except one of those. There is pressure, too, to be ranked high in the world, because the world tends to look your way.

And yet?

Yes, no worries. To deal with the situation, Thitikul said on Tuesday he swears four words. It’s a pressure deflator, it’s like using a sarcastic touch, and the saying goes:

Dance in the rain.

That’s deep. That is taken into consideration. That is played with pressure points.

How Jeeno Thitikul handled the pressure during the Honda LPGA Thailand event

On Tuesday, Thitiful said he was still a little sleepy. Adrenaline will do that, and on Sunday at the Honda LPGA Thailand, it was flowing. However, he said he decided that no matter what happens, the fans of his country will get the show.

And they do. And Thitikul won by a stroke.

“Emotions will always be there, but you have to overcome emotions,” he said. “Sometimes you worry more about the future, about what I’m going to do next.

“But I said to myself, this is the time when you need happiness, you need happiness and joy, you need happiness in times of panic.

“That’s why I try to dance in the rain.”

Then it’s on to the next week, and the chance to do it again.

“I feel like he only wants that day, and yesterday was like another day when the trophy was gone,” said Thitikul. “New week, new journey, new themes.”

How will Jeeno Thitikul handle the pressure when he is looking for a big win

The undefeated Thitikul theme followed him – his best performance was a runner-up finish at last year’s Evian Championship. Still, his thought is: There are five opportunities this year. And five next year. And so on.

More dances.

“Obviously when the moment of pressure, when the moment of panic comes, you won’t always get it,” said Thitikul. “… You have 10 times, you will not get it 10 times. It is obvious that you will definitely fall.

“But I think the times you fall, that’s when you learn what you’re going to do next time. But if you fall, it’s okay. Because you’re going to come back for the 11th time.”

Thitikul also said he learned last week that he doesn’t need a “100 percent perfect” game to win. In Thailand, he thought his metal game was less than that.

“So I think about the goals of the majors, whatever it is, I think that will stay with me,” he said. “Obviously if I’m not 100% of my game, but I have to show there and be able to come back.”

How will Jeeno Thitikul cope with the pressure of being the world No.1

Interestingly, Thitikul was previously ranked No. 1 – for a week, after the 2022 Toto Japan Classic, when he was 19. Then, he said he put pressure on himself. But things have changed.

Thoughts have changed.

“It’s definitely different from the way I look at things,” said Thitikul. “Seeing the perspective of all the ways to see that because at that time, I think I was very young, then I put a lot of pressure on myself. I know that many people already had their eyes on me and were waiting for me. … At that time, I saw very bad things. Even if I missed one shot, I felt that it was bad.

“At the moment, if I get a bad shot, well, you have one. I think he’s more relaxed. It’s a small thing to handle. But I just told myself, I’m very happy to be where I am now and I won’t stay in this position forever. There will be more top players, but I want to do and enjoy this position as best as I can.”

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