The press conference was supposed to be routine. Jeeno Thitikul, the 22-year-old Thai phenom who became world No.
1 in women’s golf after a historic 2025 season (six wins, including the AIG Women’s Open and the CME Globe), sat calmly in a navy blazer, fresh off clinching Rolex Player of the Year.
Reporters expected talk of swing changes, her new TaylorMade contract, or the upcoming LPGA season opener in Orlando.
Instead, a single question changed everything.
“Jeeno, next season the LPGA and PGA Tour are rolling out a joint ‘Inclusion Initiative.’ Players will be strongly encouraged to wear the rainbow bracelet during Pride Month events and select majors. How do you feel about that?”
The room went silent. Cameras zoomed. Jeeno took a slow breath, looked straight at the journalist, and answered in perfect English.
“I respect everyone’s personal life. But when I step on the golf course, I want only one thing on my wrist: my watch. Golf should be about skill, focus, and competition. I don’t want any symbol—rainbow, national flag, or sponsor logo—to distract from the purity of the game.
So no, I will not wear the bracelet.”
Thirty seconds of stunned silence followed. Then chaos.
By the time Jeeno left the stage, #JeenoSaysNo was the No. 1 worldwide trend. Within two hours the clip had 58 million views. By nightfall, the LPGA commissioner’s office in Daytona Beach was in full emergency mode.
The backlash was immediate and ferocious.
Activists accused her of homophobia. A viral thread titled “Jeeno Thitikul just erased queer golfers” racked up 1.2 million likes. Major sponsors—Rolex, Standard Chartered, and Honda—issued carefully worded statements about “ongoing dialogue.” A petition demanding she be stripped of Player of the Year reached 400,000 signatures in 12 hours.
But something unexpected happened next.
Support poured in from corners no one predicted.
Rory McIlroy tweeted: “Golf is the last true meritocracy. Let the clubs do the talking.” Jon Rahm posted a simple fist emoji. Scottie Scheffler told reporters in Dallas, “I’m with Jeeno. The second we start mandating what we wear on our bodies, we’ve lost what makes this sport special.”
Even some LGBTQ+ golfers spoke up. Justin Finau (an openly gay mini-tour player) wrote an open letter: “Jeeno isn’t attacking anyone. She’s protecting the one place where we’re all judged by score alone. That’s equality too.”
The LPGA found itself in an impossible position.
Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan had personally championed the rainbow bracelet initiative after meetings with GLAAD and the You Can Play Project. The plan: players who opted out would face quiet fines and loss of appearance bonuses at Pride-affiliated events (estimated $50k–$200k per tournament).
But with Jeeno—the face of Asian golf and the tour’s biggest global star—drawing a line in the sand, enforcement suddenly looked like career suicide.
Behind closed doors, sources say the tour proposed a compromise: Jeeno could wear a neutral “Inclusion” wristband in white or black instead. She reportedly declined. “If it’s mandatory, it’s not inclusion,” she told her manager.
Then came the masterstroke.
Last night, Jeeno released a two-minute video from the driving range at Siam Country Club, wearing a plain gray hoodie, hitting balls under floodlights.
“I grew up in a Buddhist family,” she said softly. “We believe every person deserves love and dignity. That will never change. But golf is my temple. When I walk through the gates, I leave politics, religion, and identity at the door.
That’s how I honor the game that lifted me from a small town to the world stage. If the tour wants to celebrate inclusion, celebrate it in clubhouses and fan zones. On the course, let us compete as golfers—nothing more, nothing less.”
She ended with a sentence in Thai that instantly became a global meme:
“วงแขนของฉันมีไว้จับไม้กอล์ฟ ไม่ใช่สัญลักษณ์ใดๆ” “My wrist is for holding a golf club, not for carrying any symbol.”
The video has 110 million views and counting.
Today the LPGA and PGA Tour issued a joint statement: “After listening to player feedback, the rainbow bracelet will remain strongly encouraged but voluntary for 2026.”
Translation: Jeeno won.
For a 22-year-old who speaks softly and smiles often, Jeeno Thitikul just delivered the loudest statement of the year. She didn’t scream. She didn’t posture. She simply refused to let anyone—corporation, activist, or tour official—put something on her body that she didn’t choose.
And in doing so, the quiet girl from Ratchaburi reminded the entire sporting world of a truth too many have forgotten:
Sometimes the purest form of rebellion is just saying no.
