Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul fired a 7-under-par 65 to assert a one-shot win on the CME Group Tour Championship and the $4 million first-place prize, the most important in skilled girls’s golf historical past, on Sunday in Naples. Fla.
Tied with Angel Yin coming into the ultimate spherical at Tiburon Golf Membership, Thitikul birdied three of her first seven holes and completed sturdy, sinking an eagle on the par-5 No. 17 gap earlier than closing her spherical with a birdie on No. 18.
“Really, I don’t know what’s (taking place) to me on 17 and 18. I imply, like I actually make a birdie on 17, which is giving me probability,” Thitikul stated after her fourth LPGA Tour win.
“However like having an eagle, it’s greater than I can ask for. After which hitting actually, actually good second shot on 18 and gap the putt, it’s identical to, you realize, all of the laborious work that I’ve been, it’s identical to repay,” she added.
The 21-year-old Thitikul collected a complete of six birdies, one eagle and one bogey, on the par-4 No. 4 gap, to shut at 22-under 266 within the LPGA’s season finale. With the win, she is the 2024 Race to the CME Globe champion.
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As for the $4M payout, Thitiful already has plans for the cash.
“Undoubtedly spend it,” she stated with amusing.
“That’s an sincere reply for certain. Undoubtedly going to spend it for a short time, however like saving it for my mother and father as nicely. As a result of I instructed them that I’m procuring so much. Don’t inform my mother and father that I’ve been spending all the cash,” she added.
Yin performed a bogey-free spherical with six birdies however shot a 6-under 66 to complete one shot behind Thitikul at 21-under 267.
“A lot of positives, hitting it good. That is — you realize, I’m completely satisfied as a result of it is a golf course that I’m not very keen on and by no means performed nicely. My observe document, I feel that is my finest end ever,” Yin stated.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko posted the spherical of the day, notching a 9-under 63 and shifting up 9 spots to complete third, 5 photographs off the lead. Ko delivered 9 birdies, together with three in a row on Nos. 7-9, and performed bogey-free golf.
China’s Ruoning Yin (68 on Sunday) completed fourth, adopted by World No. 1 Nelly Korda (66) and Narin An (68) of South Korea in a tie for fifth. Korda sank six birdies in a bogey-free spherical however couldn’t catch the leaders after a first-round 72.
“Motivated positively, and simply excited and pleased with how this yr went,” Korda stated.
“By no means in 1,000,000 years would I’ve thought final yr, 12 months in the past, I might be right here with seven wins in a single season and one other main championship,” she added.
Lexi Thompson, who had introduced earlier this yr that this may be her final full season on tour, shot a 2-over 74 and completed in a tie for forty ninth at 2-under 286.
“Yeah, it was very emotional,” she stated. “Actually wasn’t till I obtained to No. 9 for some purpose. Form of all hit me.”