Summer is nearly here and the LPGA’s stretch of impactful tournaments is upon us.
With the remaining four major championships scheduled in the next 11 tournaments over a three-month period, the battle for the top spot in the Race to the CME Globe and the No. 1 ranking in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings presents a weekly stock market-style fluctuation.
First, let’s look at the Race to the CME Globe points competition: Lydia Ko holds the lead but is closely following by Inbee Park (114 points behind), Stacy Lewis (458 points back) and Sei Young Kim (460 behind). Park could jump to first with a fourth-place finish at this week’s Manulife LPGA Classic should Ko miss the first cut of her career. With 500 points awarded for first place, Lewis and Kim could gain first place with victories.
The majors could offer an even more dramatic change with the awarding of 25 percent more points, topped by 625 going to the winner. Those tournaments include the first KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (June 11-14), the U.S. Women’s Open (July 9-12), Ricoh Women’s British Open (July 30-Aug. 2) and Evian Championship (Sept. 10-13).
In the world rankings, Ko has led for 18 consecutive weeks, but Park has closed the gap. If she wins this week, Park would be back at No. 1 even if Ko finishes second. A second-place finish by Park would also gain No. 1 if Ko finishes in a two-way tie for third or worse. Park can also move to No. 1 with a solo eighth if Ko misses the cut.
Thirteen tournaments have been completed in the second season of the Race to the CME Globe. The top three seeds entering November’s CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., can win it all. The top nine have a chance to capture the season-long title with a victory and help from those ahead of them.
The Race to the CME Globe is a season-long points competition in which LPGA Members accumulate points in every Official LPGA Tournament. At the end of the season, the winning player will be named the “Race to the CME Globe Champion.” The competition began at the Coates Golf Championship, continues through the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex in Mexico and concludes with a points reset for the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida the week before Thanksgiving.
The charitable component of the Race to the CME Globe is the Wounded Warrior Weekend. The fundraiser takes place during the final two rounds at LPGA tournaments (final round only in 54-hole events), with CME Group donating $1,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project for each eagle that is recorded. This amount will increase to $5,000 for each eagle during the weekend of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship and a formal check will be presented to the Wounded Warrior Project during the trophy ceremony. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
Karrie Webb had the lone eagle last week during Sunday’s final round of the ShopRite Classic. The World Golf Hall of Famer increased the season-long weekend eagle total to 115 and the total money raised for the Wounded Warrior Project to $115,000.
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