Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul sealed victory in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship to take home the largest prize in the history of women’s golf.
The World No. 7 collected the event’s $4 million prize just a week after the $1 million she earned following her triumph at the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and the way she secured her win on Sunday was nothing short of spectacular.
Thitikul started the final day tied for the lead alongside America’s Angel Yin. She birdied the opening hole to edge a one-shot lead and sunk another birdie on the par-4 3rd to increase that lead to two. But a bogey at the 4th set her back.
Yin then birdied the same hole to tie with Thitikul. Yin took the lead at the 10th and by the 12th, she gained a two-shot advantage, but Thitikul birdied the 13th to halve the deficit.
Yin made birdie on the par-3 16th to reclaim a two-stroke lead and it looked like she was on the verge of victory. But at the par-5 17th, Thitikul sunk an incredible eagle from the green and tied with the Yin who missed a birdie putt. On the final hole, Yin managed to tap in for par, finishing at 21 under, whilst Thitikul made birdie to end on 22 under and seal a thrilling triumph.
“I don’t know what’s happen to me on 17 and 18,” Thitikul went on to say afterward. “I mean, like I [thought] make a birdie on 17, which gives me a good chance. But having eagle, it’s more than I can ask for. And then hitting a really, really good second shot on 18 [the approach stopping five feet from the cup] and holing the putt … it’s just all the hard work that I’ve been, it’s just pay off.”
Sunday’s victory marked Thitikul’s second LPGA Tour win of the season. Her first came when she teamed up with Ruoning Yin at the Dow Championship. However, it was her first individual win after playing through a wrist injury she sustained earlier this season.
“Like I said, my million is good enough, at Aon. I think I’m at the point that I’m not really thinking about the prize money that much,” said Thitikul. “Like Lydia Ko said at Grant Thornton, we’re not here for the prize money. We here for growing the game of golf more.”
World No. 4 Lydia Ko finished the season-ending event with an 17-under total to finish third while three-time CME Group Tour Championship winner Ruoning Yin ended fourth on 16-under. World No. 1 Nelly Korda finished tied-fifth alongside Korea’s Narin A.
WHAT IS THE NEXT EVENT?
The next event on the LPGA Tour schedule is the Grand Thornton Invitational taking place between 9-15 December, and will feature both competing LPGA and PGA Tour players.