Jeeno Thitikul broke the LPGA’s single-season prize money record on Sunday by winning the CME Group Tour Championship. The tournament’s $4 million winner’s check raised Thitikul’s 2024 haul to $6.06 million, surpassing Lorena Ochoa’s mark of $4,364,994 won in 2007.
The 21-year-old Thai player birdied the 18th hole in the final round at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., to edge out American Angel Yin by one stroke. Thitikul also won this season’s Aon Risk Reward Challenge, which came with its own $1 million bonus, meaning she has earned more than $7 million on the course this season.
But Thitikul wasn’t the only player to surpass Ochoa’s mark. The $227,500 No. 1 ranked Nelly Korda earned for a fifth-place tie puts her at $4,391,930 on the season—less than $27,000 past Ochoa. Korda won seven tournaments this season.
The Tour Championship had an $11 million purse, the second-highest LPGA payout this year behind the $12 million offered at the U.S. Women’s Open. CME Group just signed an extension of its title sponsorship that will keep the tournament’s prize money in place next year.
The Tour Championship had an $11 million purse, the second-highest LPGA payout this year behind the $12 million offered at the U.S. Women’s Open. CME Group just signed an extension of its title sponsorship that will keep the tournament’s prize money in place next year.
NAPLES, Fla. — Angel Yin rammed in a 30-foot par putt on her opening hole, setting the tone for a day of big putts and a 3-under 69 that gave her a two-shot lead Friday in the CME Group Tour Championship and the chase for the $4 million prize.
Very clear in her rearview mirror was Nelly Korda.
Korda, coming off her seventh win of the season last week, opened with a 72 and was eight shots behind. She found a simple swing thought after the round and was back to her old self with a 66 that cut the deficit in half with 36 holes left to play.
“Golf is just crazy,” Korda said. “You go from playing so well last week to not being able to find the center of the clubface yesterday. Always humbles you, but that’s what you love so much about it. Went to the range after my round yesterday. Tried to find a different feel. Felt a little better out there today, and hopefully I can keep progressing.”
Yin followed that 30-foot par putt with a 40-foot birdie putt on the next hole. She also holed a birdie putt from about 35 feet on the 11th hole that put her in the lead for good.
She was at 10-under 134. Hye-Jin Choi (68) and Narin An (72) were 8 under.
Korda, who already has captured her first award as player of the year, was tied for fourth at 138 with four other players who are either major champions or have been No. 1 in the women’s world ranking — Jeeno Thitikul, Ayaka Furue, Ruoning Yin and Amy Yang, the defending champion at Tiburon Golf Club.
Furue also is in a tight battle for the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, and she pulled to within a fraction of a point of Haeran Ryu.
Yin’s round had enough bogeys to slow her momentum, along with a discussion with a rules official over where she took her drop after going in the water on the par-3 fourth hole.
“It looked like I took an improper drop where I went up closer than I should have, where I should have dropped further back,” said Yin, who was asked to review footage. “They thought I didn’t take the drop properly. I explained to them that I believe I did take the drop properly.”
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