The basics:

• Jeeno Thitikul wins her fifth LPGA title, sets records at Mizuho Americas Open
• Tournament featured a $3M purse, one of LPGA’s largest
• NJ rising star captures AJGA Invitational crown

Another successful Mizuho Americas Open is in the books.

The top women golfers in the world teed it up over the past few days at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City. Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand earned her fifth career victory and set the 54-hole (202) and 72-hole scoring records for the tournament.

With the win, Thitikul earned $450,000. At $3 million, the tournament boasts one of the largest non-Major purses on the LPGA Tour.

“Well, I think when I was a kid wanting to play on the LPGA Tour, I just told my dad, and my dad just told me, winning on the LPGA Tour once, it’s good enough,” said Thitikul, who finished at -17, about winning her fifth LPGA Tour event at age 22. “I always tell myself, yeah, actually two. I joined the Tour in 2022 and then get the first win maybe my fifth start from the beginning of the season, and then get my first win was just really a dream come true.

“But I had no idea I’m going to be this far for sure,” she continued. “I’m just trying to do my part. I’m just trying to improve myself every day. Winning or not, I’m just – I think the real win that I have, it’s all the people around me. If I do my job, either get the win or not really, how many wins that I have, holes in my belt – I just set it down beside me.”

Another key element of the Mizuho Americas Open is its focus on woman leadership and empowerment. It runs concurrent with the American Junior Golf Association Invitational, a format that offers 24 of the top juniors the chance to compete alongside the top professional golfers. For the next generation of LPGA Tour players, it creates an unprecedented week of education, mentorship and access.

Staying in Jersey

And the AJGA Invitational yielded another Jersey angle in 2025. Short Hills native Aphrodite Deng – the only N.J. golfer in the junior field – captured the crown. She played her final round alongside Nelly Korda, LPGA star and World No. 1 golfer.

As NJBIZ reported, Mizuho Americas renewed its sponsor agreement for the tournament earlier this month. The move keeps the tournament as an LPGA Tour stop through 2030 right here in the great Garden State.

The 2026 and 2027 iterations of the tournament will take place at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell. Then, the event will return to its long-term home at Liberty National for the remaining years, through 2030.

Next year’s purse will increase to $3.25 million. The purse will continue to increase throughout the five-year partnership.

“We first partnered with the LPGA, AJGA, and Liberty National in 2023 to create a one-of-a-kind tournament that stands apart from the others,” said Jerry Rizzieri, president and CEO of Mizuho Securities USA and head of Americas corporate and investment bank. “We share this tournament – not only with the players – but also with our employees and clients.”

Interim LPGA Commissioner Liz Moore said, “Through our partnership with Mizuho, we’re able to showcase the world’s best golfers on a global stage, right outside one of the world’s most iconic cities, while uniquely providing rising AJGA stars the opportunity to compete alongside them – creating an unparalleled platform to inspire the next generation and furthering our core mission of using the game of golf to transform and enrich the lives of girls and women.”