Jeeno Thitikul stood on the 18th green at Tiburon Golf Club with arms raised as she triumphed for the second consecutive time at the CME Group Tour Championship. Bagging the largest prize of $4 million in women’s golf history, she cemented her spot as the LPGA’s dominant force in 2025. Yet behind that triumphant moment lived a different reality. One filled with tears, heartbreak, and crushing disappointments that nobody saw.

The 22-year-old Thai superstar revealed this hidden truth during her post-tournament press conference on Sunday. A reporter asked her to reflect on her brilliant season—three wins, five runner-up finishes, and every major season-ending honor imaginable. How would she rank it? What more could she have achieved? Thitikul’s response cut straight to the emotional core. Her voice carried the weight of battles fought behind closed doors.

“I have no idea. I’ll just say year by year. Lots of thing happening in just one year for sure. You seeing me like hold the trophy today, but you seeing me crying for sure for the four-putts that I have earlier. You see me crying for sure for the Evian. I’m not going to lie.”

The four-putt moment haunted her throughout the season. It happened at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September. Thitikul held a one-stroke lead over Charley Hull playing the par-5 18th hole at TPC River’s Bend. She reached the green in two shots. Her eagle attempt from approximately 50 feet rolled well past the hole. Then came the collapse. She powered her birdie putt 3 feet past. Pushed her par effort. Finally tapped in for a gutting bogey to finish at 19-under.

Hull converted a short birdie to win by one stroke at 20-under. The shocking four-putt was particularly painful given Thitikul ranked fourth on the LPGA in strokes gained putting at the time.

The emotional toll ran deeper than anyone realized. Later, she admitted she needed ice packs on her eyes from crying so hard after that loss. Her philosophy about golf’s unpredictability emerged from these painful moments. She explained her mindset with remarkable clarity.

“I think nothing you can predict with golf. Everything can happen. You can’t control anybody else. But what stay last long is your hard work, your discipline, and then like you’re passionate about golf.”

Meanwhile, Thitikul achieved something extraordinary that she didn’t even know was happening. Her final scoring average of 68.681 broke Annika Sorenstam’s 23-year-old LPGA Tour record of 68.697. The margin? A razor-thin 0.016 strokes. Had she taken just two more strokes across her entire 2025 season, Sorenstam’s record would have remained intact. Nelly Korda captured the magnitude perfectly when discussing the achievement.

“To finally beat a record so far in—what was it, 2002 you said? For it to take until 2025, I mean, it’s crazy. That just tells you that the greats don’t come along too often.”

Thitikul displayed genuine shock when informed during the championship. She wasn’t even born when Sorenstam set that record in 2002. Her humble reaction reflected her gratitude rather than pride.

“It’s just such an honor. I mean, like never ever dreaming to have that record at all.”

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The Evian heartbreak she specifically mentioned

The 2025 Amundi Evian Championship in July represented another painful near-miss. Thitikul lost to Australia’s Grace Kim in a dramatic playoff at the prestigious major championship. After four rounds of 68-68-67-67, she finished regulation at 14-under par, tied with Kim. Both golfers birdied the first playoff hole at the par-5 18th. Kim’s birdie came via a difficult chip-in.

Then Kim delivered the crushing blow. She drained a clutch eagle putt on the second playoff hole to seal her first major championship victory. The runner-up finish earned Thitikul $788,870. However, it marked her best chance yet to capture an elusive major title—the one significant gap remaining in her burgeoning resume. That’s why she specifically mentioned Evian when discussing her tears.

Despite these heartbreaks, Thitikul’s season totals told a remarkable story. She made 19 of 20 cuts. She posted 14 top-10 finishes. Her season earnings reached a record-breaking $7,578,330. Most importantly, she learned something valuable from every disappointment. Her mature perspective at just 22 years old speaks volumes about her character and future potential.

The tears were real. The pain was genuine. But so was her resilience.