Ah, to be 23, the number one ranked female player in the world and number seven on the all-time LPGA career earnings list. That would be the situation with Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand who in 2024 won the largest first place check in LPGA history ($4 million at the CME Group Tour Championship) and then repeated the accomplishment this past November with a winning score of 26-under par. It would be an understatement to say that she showed early potential, capturing the Ladies European Thailand Championship at the ripe old age of 14. Apparently, she possesses a hefty dose of talent. Oh, and by the way, her 2025 scoring average of 68.68 was the lowest in Tour’s 75-year history
Like all great players, she is very fundamentally sound from setup to finish position. She has a minimal amount of knee flex and her arms are soft and hanging with virtually no tension. Her toes, knees, hips and shoulders are all parallel to the ball-target line. This sounds like a no brainer, but many players struggle with it because of eye dominance. It has been my experience that the vast majority of right-handed, right-eye-dominant golfers aim too far to the right which can often lead to an over-the-top downswing as they attempt to yank the ball online. Interestingly enough, arguably the two greatest players in history – Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods- are both left-eye dominant.
Another solid setup aspect is that both elbows are pointed at her hip joints. If you have ever read Ben Hogan’s classic instruction book “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf,” you will see an illustration of Mr. Hogan’s elbows in the same position. Why is this important and why is it worth copying? When the elbows are in this position, the right elbow folds easily in the backswing and same with the left in the through swing. If the right elbow, for example, is pointed away from the target in the setup it becomes challenging to keep the club on the proper plane going back.
During the takeaway, she makes a very subtle move that I really like. She rotates her left wrist slightly counter-clockwise which serves to keep the clubface perpendicular to the path of her swing. When the shaft is parallel to the ground halfway back the clubhead is parallel to her spine angle. In previous times this was considered to be a closed clubface. Not any more!
This also has a significant impact on her position at the top of the backswing. Her left wrist is slightly bowed (anatomically speaking this is called wrist flexion) which very slightly limits the amount the wrists can hinge. For reference, the opposite of this would be John Daly whose cupped left wrist (extreme wrist extension) allows the club to go way past parallel at the top of the backswing but also results in a far greater amount of dispersion because the clubface is open. Golf swings have certainly evolved over the years and a bowed left wrist, or at least flat, is now in vogue. As it should be.
Like all great players, her right elbow never gets past 90 degrees at the top of the backswing. This ensures maximum width which adds to her substantial swing radius.
During transition, Jeeno moves easily to her left side because she didn’t move much to the right side in the backswing. If you stay very centered at the top like she does, you really don’t need to think about a weight transfer. The momentum of the swinging club will get you to your left side.
When she comes into impact with left arm parallel to the ground her belt buckle goes up approximately four inches and it happens very, very quickly. That causes the club to go down very, very quickly and increases her speed. With far less skilled golfers this upward movement happens way too early in the downswing which decreases rather than increases speed. Just one more reason why she is playing on television and the rest of us are watching her on television.
Her finish position is right out of a textbook. Weight totally on the left side, up on the right toe, right shoulder closer to the target than her left. The golf ball has no choice other than to go long and straight.
Like nearly all Tour players nowadays, Jeeno puts in plenty of time in the gym, working on both mobility and functional strength. The end result of all of this is a young lady at the pinnacle of the golf world who will remain there for many years to come.
Article by: John Marshall, Golf Instructor, Two-time ALDA long drive champion & Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor
John’s Website: jmlongdrive.com
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