On the 72nd hole of the 2025 Kroger Queen City Championship, Jeeno Thitikul led Charley Hull by 1 stroke. Her approach shot landed the furthest away from the cup. But the world #1 still had time to recover, as Hull didn’t make an eagle but was set up for a birdie. That means Thitkul had 3 strokes to take things to a playoff, 4 to lose the title. And the unthinkable happened, she ended up taking four strokes to make the putt, resulting in Hull’s win. Despite that, the world wasn’t as harsh to her as it would have been to other golfers from the men’s division. And that was noted by fans.

It’s not like Jeeno is a sore loser or loved a little too much to not receive any criticism. So why was she not questioned for choking? That’s what Monday Q Info pointed out as they tweeted, “Its ok to say Jeeno choked. Search “Jeeno” and see how most golf outlets covered it. What did they all say about her 72nd hole four-putt to lose to Charley Hull. The tweets are sympathetic and safe. And its a disservice to the women’s game in my opinion.”

They believe that the LPGA Tour stars are equal to their PGA Tour counterparts. By softening the treatment they receive as compared to men’s golf, they are only disrespecting the players. Thitikul deserves to be called out for choking just as much as Tommy Fleetwood or Ben Griffin, as stated by Monday Q Info. Interestingly, they didn’t mention Rory McIlroy, who is infamous for skipping interviews after bad rounds and losses.

A similar tone of leniency was seen with Nelly Korda at the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, when she shot an 81 and missed the cut. Rather than branding her collapse as a choke, coverage leaned toward sympathy—highlighting her struggles with form and the emotional toll, with outlets describing it as a “tough finish” instead of outright failure. This softer language reflects a pattern where LPGA players are shielded from the sharper edges of critique that PGA Tour stars often face.

Regardless, it’s an insult to everything the Thai pro has achieved this year if she is not questioned for losing from such an advantageous position.

In fact, they also made a demand from the best in women’s golf: “Demand that she talk to the media after and criticize her if she didn’t. The coverage needs to stop being so safe. These women are professional athletes and should be covered as such.” Like men’s golf, if they want all the glory, they should also be ready to face the heat. And what Thitikul produced at Maineville deserves a lot of scrutiny from the media and fans alike.

Interestingly, pros have often been hesitant about talking to the media after a tough loss, however, there are some intersting reasons as to why so.

Do the pros intentionally avoid complicated situations?

Years after her retirement, Michelle Wie West revealed how she didn’t want to be perceived as weak by the media and develop that mentality herself. Hence, she started being dishonest at the age of sixteen. “I remember not telling the media really honest answers about my injuries,” she said, recollecting how she tried to escape the mental challenges of dealing with the cross-questioning. Even the smallest hint of an injury opens a labyrinth of queries that raises self-doubt in young golfers.

This year, Collin Morikawa was involved in a controversy where he skipped the interviews after the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. When he was asked why he left the course immediately after the tournament, the 28-year-old said that he didn’t owe anyone any answers. That caught him a lot of heat as everyone criticized Keegan Bradley’s Captain’s Pick for his obnoxious stance against the media. Maybe the media has become cautious in dealing with the top golfers ever since then.