- Team Somi Lee victorious with a score of 34-under-par
- Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul leads by three in the Individual competition
Team Somi Lee secured a two-stroke victory winning with a total of 34-under-par at the PIF Saudi Ladies International held at Riyadh Golf Club.
The quartet of Korea’s Somi Lee and Minsun Kim alongside France’s Nastasia Nadaud and England’s Amy Taylor began the day in second place on 17-under.
It was a hot start for the team as they made the turn in -11 for the day, thanks in part to Lee’s birdie and Nadaud’s eagle on the fifth hole.
The pace slowed down on the back nine, but Team Somi Lee were still in contention until the end when the Korean pair of Lee and Kim both rolled in birdies at the last to seal victory.
“I’m so happy! I’ve met great friends and great players,” said Captain Lee. “Golf is usually an individual sport, but being able to play as a team made me feel more relaxed and comfortable.
“As I was walking to the green, I knew what the score was, and that was the moment I realised, ‘Oh, I need a birdie.’ After that, my only focus was on my shot. I made the birdie, and I thought, ‘This could really happen.’
“It’s been a while since I won a trophy, my last one was at a KLPGA event a couple of years ago. But this win will definitely give me a boost to start the year.”
Kim commented: “First of all, I want to thank my captain [Somi Lee]. I’ve worked so hard, and I’m so glad it all worked out well. I already knew her from when we played KLPGA together.
“The best part was having a teammate I could speak Korean with, it made everything even better. I had so much fun. It was amazing to watch, and every time we made a birdie, we cheered for each other.”
Nadaud, who was a winning Team captain in London in 2024, said: “It’s really cool. I honestly didn’t expect to win, but it meant a lot. We had a great team, and we worked really well together. Amy and I talked through things a bit, but overall, it was just a really fun few days.”
LET winner Taylor added: “It’s great. I love playing these kinds of events. I played team golf in college, but this is on a different level. It was really nice to have four pros in the format this time, and getting the win feels amazing.”
Team Kyriacou pushed the winners all the way ending the tournament in second place on 32-under-par, Team Henseleit and Team Grant were in T3 on 31-under with three teams in a share of fifth place on 28-under-par.
In the Individual competition, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul fired a round of 64 (-8) to move to the top of the leaderboard on 13-under-par and hold a three-shot lead heading into the final day.
The world number four rolled in back-to-back birdies on the first two holes before adding another on the fifth, Thitikul then rolled in three birdies on the trot on holes seven to nine.
Another birdie came on the 12th before the 21-year-old’s only dropped shot of the day on the 15th but the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol champion finished with a flourish with birdies on 17 and 18 to be in pole position heading into tomorrow.
“My putting was working better than yesterday, and that’s why I made more putts,” said Thitikul. “My ball striking was the same as yesterday. To be honest, earlier in the week, I wasn’t very confident in my ball striking, but it’s been working well so I’ll take it.
“You really can’t predict much on these greens. I knew they would be challenging because of the cold weather over the last few months. I think not taking it too seriously was the key.
“The only thing I really wanted to carry over from CME [Group Tour Championship] and the way I finished last year was my mental game. I just really wanted to keep that mindset, enjoy playing golf and not think too much about results. That’s what I wanted to bring with me.”
England’s Annabel Fuller and Korea’s Somi Lee sit in second place on the leaderboard on 10-under-par.
Fuller, who is in her second year on the LET, fired a round of 68 (-4) on day two which included six birdies and two bogeys.
“I’m pretty pleased! Today was nice again,” said Fuller. “I hit the ball really well and felt good over my shots, so it was a fun round.
“I’m just striking the ball really well at the moment. I feel confident with my swing, and that makes everything a lot easier, just standing over the ball and hitting it without overthinking.
“I’ll just approach tomorrow the same way as the last few days. I love playing golf, I have a laugh with my caddie, so I’ll just go out there, have fun, and play golf. I always try to chat with my caddie and the players I’m with and just enjoy the moment. If it goes my way, great! If not, we reset and go again.”
Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini and Austria’s Emma’s Spitz are in a share of fourth place on nine-under-par after 36 holes.
Seven players are in a tie for sixth place with Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Germany’s Esther Henseleit, China’s Muni He, Korea’s Minsun Kim, Australia’s Steph Kyriacou and Germany’s Olivia Cowan all on eight-under-par.
It was a great day for Thailand’s Jutanugarn as she fired a bogey-free round of 66 (-6) which included an eagle and four birdies.
“The eagle was lucky, it was windy, and that hole was playing into the wind,” said Jutanugarn. “I hit a 3-wood and then another 3-wood to reach the green. I had about 20 yards to the pin, and somehow, I just made the chip perfectly, it went in.
“Putting here is really hard because you don’t always know how the greens will react, but I think that’s just another challenge. It’s pretty fun to play on this course. I made some short putts and did make one long putt as well.
“I’m just so happy to be back here. I didn’t expect anything, just going out to have fun. Last year, I didn’t have a great memory of this tournament, so I was really looking forward to coming back. Right now, I’m in a really good position, so I just want to enjoy it tomorrow.”
The cut fell at -2 with 61 players making it through to the final day; round three will begin at 7.40 am (local time) with the leading group teeing off at 12 pm at Riyadh Golf Club.
Follow all the action @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #ExcitementIsOurGame.
