IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS – 2017 LPGA SEASON ENDS AT CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
After 32 official events across 15 countries and 14 states, the 2017 LPGA season culminates with this week’s CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Fla. In a year that saw 22 different winners from eight countries, several season-ending awards, including the Race to the CME Globe and Rolex Player of the Year honors, are still up for grabs.
The Race to the CME Globe is a season-long points competition in which LPGA members accumulate points in every Official LPGA Tournament. Following the Blue Bay LPGA, the top 72 LPGA members, as well as any non-member winners and any alternates, in the Race to the CME Globe points standings were seeded into the Championship field. For the top five players, it’s easy – win the CME Group Tour Championship and take home $1 million. However, the top 12 in the points race all have a mathematical chance to take the title of Race to the CME Globe Champion and win the coveted check.
Going into the CME Group Tour Championship, Lexi Thompson leads the Race with 5,000 points. Sung Hyun Park, who has already clinched Rolex Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year honors, sits in second with 4,750 points. Rounding out the top five, who control their own destinies at Tiburón, are newly minted World No. 1 Shanshan Feng (4,500), So Yeon Ryu (4,250) and Brooke Henderson (4,000).
Ryu, who won the ANA Inspiration for her second career major title, holds a slim lead in the race for Rolex Player of the Year honors. With 162 points, Ryu holds a three-point lead over Feng (159), who enters the CME Group Tour Championship fresh off wins at the LPGA’s last two events. Park is in third with 157 points, followed by Thompson with 147.
Thompson also leads the LPGA in Scoring Average at 69.147, followed by Park at 69.259, In Gee Chun at 69.269 and nine other players under 70 (the LPGA record for the most players under 70 is five, set in 2016). The player with the lowest scoring average following this week’s event will win the Vare Trophy, named for World Golf Hall of Fame member and pioneering female golfer Glenna Collett Vare.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
- This is the fourth playing of the CME Group Tour Championship and the fourth consecutive year it will be played on Tiburón Golf Club’s Gold Course
- Three past champions are in this week’s field – Lydia Ko (2014), Cristie Kerr (2015) and Charley Hull (2016)
- Shanshan Feng won the CME Titleholders on this same golf course in 2013
- The tournament’s low 18-hole score is 62, set by Lydia Ko in the second round in 2016
- The tournament’s low 72-hole score is 19-under 269, set by Charley Hull in 2016
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT DEFENDING CHAMPION CHARLEY HULL
- Hull shot a final-round 66 to win the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship by two strokes over So Yeon Ryu
- With the victory, Hull became a Rolex First-Time Winner
- In 21 starts in 2017, Hull has three top-10 finishes, with a best showing of T6 at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
- She represented Europe at the 2017 Solheim Cup, where she went 1-1-1
RACE TO THE CME GLOBE WINNING SCENARIOS
|
PLAYER |
SCENARIOS |
|
1. Lexi Thompson |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 40th or better to have a chance |
|
2. Sung Hyun Park |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 30th or better to have a chance |
|
3. Shanshan Feng |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 12th or better to have a chance |
|
4. So Yeon Ryu |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 9th or better to have a chance |
|
5. Brooke Henderson |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 8th or better to have a chance |
|
6. In Gee Chun |
Finish 6th or better to have a chance |
|
7. Cristie Kerr |
Finish 4th or better to have a chance |
|
8. Moriya Jutanugarn |
Finish 3rd or better to have a chance |
|
9. Ariya Jutanugarn |
Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Lexi Thompson finish 9th or worse; Sung Hyun Park finish 8th or worse; Shanshan Feng finish 7th or worse; So Yeon Ryu finish 6th or worse; Brooke Henderson finish 5th or worse; In Gee Chun finish 3rd or worse |
|
10. Anna Nordqvist |
Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Lexi Thompson finish 11th or worse; Sung Hyun Park finish 9th or worse; Shanshan Feng finish 8th or worse; So Yeon Ryu finish 7th or worse; Brooke Henderson finish 6th or worse; In Gee Chun finish 4th or worse; Cristie Kerr finish 3rd or worse |
|
11. Stacy Lewis |
Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Lexi Thompson finish 25th or worse; Sung Hyun Park finish 12th or worse; Shanshan Feng finish 10th or worse; So Yeon Ryu finish 8th or worse; Brooke Henderson finish 7th or worse; In Gee Chun finish 6th or worse; Cristie Kerr finish 4th or worse |
|
12. Lydia Ko |
Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Lexi Thompson finish 41st or worse; Sung Hyun Park finish 20th or worse; Shanshan Feng finish 11th or worse; So Yeon Ryu finish 9th or worse; Brooke Henderson finish 8th or worse; In Gee Chun finish 6th or worse; Cristie Kerr finish 5th or worse; Moriya Jutanugarn finish 3rd or worse |
ROLEX PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNING SCENARIOS
|
PLAYER |
SCENARIOS |
|
1. So Yeon Ryu |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 10th or better to have a chance |
|
2. Shanshan Feng |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 8th or better to have a chance |
|
3. Sung Hyun Park |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship Finish 6th or better to have a chance |
|
4. Lexi Thompson |
Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship |
LPGA MONEY LIST WINNING SCENARIOS
- Sung Hyun Park leads the 2017 LPGA Money List with $2,262,472, followed by So Yeon Ryu with $1,964,425. The difference between Park and Ryu’s earnings for the 2017 LPGA Tour season is $298,047.
- If Ryu does not win the CME Group Tour Championship, Park wins the money title. For Ryu to win the money title, she must win the CME Group Tour Championship, and have Park finish in a tie for second or worse.
VARE TROPHY (LOWEST SCORING AVERAGE) WINNING SCENARIOS
- Through the Blue Bay LPGA, Lexi Thompson (69.147) holds a small lead over Sung Hyun Park (69.259) and In Gee Chun (69.269).
- For Park to win the Vare Trophy, she needs to be nine to 10 strokes better than Thompson (10 strokes if Thompson reaches 10-under par or more).
- For Chun to win the Vare Trophy, she needs to be 10 strokes better than Thompson.
CME GROUP CARES WEEKENDS EAGLES UPDATE AFTER BLUE BAY LPGA
CME Group Cares Weekend is a season-long charitable giving program that turns eagles into donations. For each eagle recorded during weekend play (Saturday and Sunday) throughout the 2017 LPGA Tour season, CME Group donates $1,000 to the program’s total donation count. The money raised will go towards a charitable pool and be split evenly between Wounded Warrior Project® and Bright Pink®.
Players scored three eagles over the weekend at the 2017 Blue Bay LPGA, raising another $3,000 for charity. This brings the total to 284 eagles on the year, which translates to $284,000 raised. LPGA rookies Nelly Korda and Angel Yin lead the charitable efforts with eight eagles each, followed by Sei Young Kim, Stacy Lewis and Amy Yang with seven apiece.
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