Andy’s Golf Lab Weekly — 5 October 2026

Persistence Pays — But So Does the Ability to Respond

There was a point late on Sunday in Hawaii when this week's newsletter suddenly acquired another chapter.

Jeeno Thitikul had been in control of the LOTTE Championship. Then she drove into the water at the 16th, made double bogey and watched a two-shot lead disappear.

Sixteen holes of work, and suddenly she was tied.

What happened next was fascinating.

She didn't try to repair the 16th. She birdied the 17th. Then birdied the 18th. And won by three.

Add that to Austin Smotherman finally winning on his 100th PGA Tour start, and Adrian Meronk ending a 1,078-day wait for another DP World Tour victory, and I think we've got a pretty good theme this week.

Progress isn't linear. Neither is a round of golf.

The golfers who ultimately succeed aren't necessarily those who avoid setbacks. They're often those who become particularly good at responding to them.

LPGA Tour — Thitikul Turns Disaster Into Victory

Jeeno Thitikul entered Sunday at Hoakalei Country Club three shots clear and looking increasingly comfortable. But Ina Yoon wasn't going anywhere.

Then came the 16th.

Thitikul drove into the water and made double bogey. Her advantage disappeared and suddenly the pair were tied at 19-under with two holes remaining.

This is where I think the story becomes much more interesting than simply another victory.

What does the golfer do next?

Thitikul stepped onto the difficult par-four 17th and holed a 20-foot birdie putt. At virtually the same moment, Yoon's tee shot found the water and she made bogey.

Two-shot swing.

Thitikul then birdied the par-five 18th to finish with a 68 and 21-under 267, three ahead of Yoon. Miyu Yamashita was third at 17-under and Auston Kim fourth at 16-under.

It was Thitikul's fourth LPGA victory of 2026 and 11th career title, drawing her level with Nelly Korda for the most LPGA victories this season.

And she's still only 23.

There is also a lovely coaching lesson hidden in her reaction to 16. With two holes remaining, the mistake hadn't removed her opportunity.

That sounds obvious. It isn't always obvious when you're the person who has just made the mistake.

PGA Tour — 100 Starts Later, Smotherman Is a Winner

Austin Smotherman has taken a rather different route.

Sunday at Black Desert Resort was his 100th PGA Tour start. He arrived still looking for victory number one.

Rounds of 63, 62 and 65 had put him in front through 54 holes. A closing 68 took him to 26-under 258, two ahead of Doug Ghim. David Ford and Trace Crowe shared third at 23-under.

Smotherman never trailed during the final round.

And the victory couldn't have arrived at a much better time.

He began the week 79th in the FedExCup, with the top 100 retaining full PGA Tour status for 2027. Victory moved him to 51st, brought a two-year exemption, 500 FedExCup points and $1.08 million.

But I'm more interested in the 100 than the $1.08 million.

Professional sport understandably celebrates precocious talent. The 20-year-old winner. The amateur sensation. The player everyone has been talking about since junior golf.

Smotherman is 32.

He kept going.

One hundred starts later, he's a PGA Tour champion.

That's worth remembering when we're judging our own progress against somebody else's timetable.

DP World Tour — Meronk Comes Full Circle at St Andrews

Then there is Adrian Meronk.

Ten years ago, Meronk made his first professional DP World Tour appearance at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

On Sunday he walked over the Swilcan Bridge as its champion.

Meronk started the final round two behind Casey Jarvis but produced a five-under 67 around the Old Course to reach 20-under and win by two from Jarvis and Niklas Nørgaard.

It was his fifth DP World Tour victory. And his first for 1,078 days.

His previous DP World Tour victory came at the Andalucía Masters in October 2023.

There's another layer to this story.

Meronk arrived at St Andrews 141st in the Race to Dubai, with his future playing status very much part of the equation.

Victory moved him to 38th and secured his DP World Tour status.

And then there was the setting.

As he crossed the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th, Meronk said he found himself thinking about Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus making the same walk.

Ten years after beginning his professional career in this tournament, he was about to win it.

Golf does occasionally write a decent script.

Ladies European Tour — A Scheduled Gap Before Korea

There wasn't an LET tournament this weekend.

That gives us an opportunity to look at the broader autumn picture.

Casandra Alexander's recent run remains particularly interesting: a season that once appeared to be defined by repeated runner-up finishes has suddenly become a multiple-winning season.

Again, progress isn't always visible in the order we expect.

Sometimes the performances arrive first. The trophies catch up later.

The LET now returns at the Aramco Korea Championship, 8–11 October.

LIV Golf — Uncertainty Replaces Tournament Golf

There was no LIV event this weekend because its 2026 competitive season is complete.

Its biggest stories are now happening away from the golf course.

LIV is attempting to restructure following its Chapter 11 filing, while uncertainty continues around which leading players will commit to the proposed new model.

Bryson DeChambeau is among those yet to confirm his future.

That's significant because whatever LIV eventually becomes, it needs recognisable golfers.

Corporate structures don't create sporting attachment. Players and competition do.

We've discussed that repeatedly this season.

The money can create the opportunity. It cannot, on its own, create the meaning.

Andy’s Coaching Takeaway

Don't Confuse the Setback With the Outcome

I originally thought this week's coaching section was going to be about persistence.

Meronk: 1,078 days.

Smotherman: 100 starts.

It still is. But Thitikul has added another dimension.

She stood on the 16th tee leading a golf tournament. Minutes later she'd made double bogey and lost that lead.

Now think about what frequently happens to a club golfer.

Bad hole. Anger. Analysis. Technical thought. Try to get the shots back.

And while they're doing all of that, another hole has started.

Thitikul's response was completely different.

Double bogey 16.

Birdie 17.

Birdie 18.

Champion.

That's not pretending the double bogey didn't happen.

It's recognising that it had finished.

There is a huge difference.

The same principle applies over months and years.

A bad tournament doesn't define a season. A plateau doesn't mean development has stopped. A missed selection doesn't mean the pathway has closed. And 99 PGA Tour starts without a victory don't mean the 100th won't be different.

Don't confuse the setback with the outcome.

Keep playing.

Coming Next

The PGA Tour heads to Japan for the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club, 8–11 October, with 500 FedExCup points available.

The LET returns at the Aramco Korea Championship, 8–11 October.

The LPGA has a week without a tournament before beginning its Asian swing at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, 15–18 October, where Thitikul will arrive looking for a fifth victory of the season.

And the DP World Tour moves on from St Andrews with the Race to Dubai picture becoming increasingly important as the season moves deeper into autumn.

But my three numbers from this weekend are these:

1,078 days.

100 starts.

Two holes remaining.

Meronk kept going for nearly three years.

Smotherman kept going for 100 starts.

Thitikul kept going after throwing away her lead with two holes left.

All three eventually got the same reward.

A trophy.

And perhaps that's the simplest lesson from the weekend.

Keep going long enough to give the result a chance to catch up.