Brandel Chamblee overlooks Nelly Korda, names surprise pick for U.S. Women’s Open 2025

As the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open approaches, golf analyst Brandel Chamblee has shared his early pick for the title, and it’s not current World No. 1 Nelly Korda. Instead, he’s backing Thailand’s Atthaya “Jeeno” Thitikul.

Chamblee took to X and shared a post comparing Thitikul to LPGA legend Lorena Ochoa. He praised her consistency and scoring average, which has been among the best on tour in recent years.

"Jeeno Thitikul... reminds me of Lorena Ochoa in several ways, not least because she’s led the LPGA in scoring average the last few years and likely will this year as well. She’s my pick to win next week’s @uswomensopen at Erin Hills."

Lorena Ochoa was one of the most dominant players in LPGA history. She led the tour in scoring average from 2006 to 2009, won 27 LPGA titles, including two majors, and was named Player of the Year four times.

She retired in 2010 at the age of 28, shocking the golf world. Though she didn’t meet the 10-year requirement for LPGA Hall of Fame induction at the time, the rule was later changed, and she was inducted in 2022.

Now, Chamblee sees a resemblance to Ochoa’s game in Jeeno Thitikul. The 22-year-old Thai star has five LPGA Tour wins to her name and currently leads the Race to the CME Globe standings. She is also ranked No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, just behind Nelly Korda. Thitikul recently won the 2025 Mizuho Americas Open and has six top-10 finishes in eight starts this year.

Meanwhile, Korda, who is the World No. 1, has struggled to find a win so far in 2025. She has played seven events this season, with three top-10 finishes, but no victories. This is a dip compared to her 2024 season, where she won seven times and had 11 top-10 finishes. Korda is currently 15th in the Race to the CME Globe standings. Despite Korda's strong resume of 15 LPGA career wins, Chamblee is putting his faith in Thitikul.

The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open is set to take place from May 29 to June 1 at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. Both World No. 1 Nelly Korda and World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul are confirmed participants in the tournament.

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Has Nelly Korda won at the U.S. Women’s Open before?

Nelly Korda has yet to win the U.S. Women’s Open in her career. Her best result at the major came in 2022, when she finished tied for eighth. She made her debut at the championship back in 2013 at just 14 years of age and has competed in every edition since 2016.

Nelly Korda at the 2024 U.S. Women's Open Presented by Ally - Source: Getty

While she has come close, the Harton S. Semple Trophy continues to be the one missing from her collection. Korda’s record at the event has been mixed over the years, with a few top-10s and several missed cuts. She finished T64 in 2014, T59 in 2016, T44 in 2017, and broke into the top 10 for the first time in 2018 with a T10 finish. In the following years, she placed T39 in 2019 but missed the cut in both 2020 and 2021. After her strong T8 finish in 2022, she dropped to T64 in 2023 and missed the cut again in 2024.

Despite her struggles in this particular major, Korda has found major success in other majors. She is a two-time major winner, having claimed the Women’s PGA Championship in 2021 and the Chevron Championship in 2024.