Lopez Leaps In Rankings
Last week, Gaby Lopez picked up her maiden victory on the LPGA Tour at the Blue Bay LPGA. With her win, Lopez jumped 45 spots in the Rolex Rankings from No. 136 to No. 91. She is currently the highest ranked player from Mexico and on her way to following in the footsteps of her idol and fellow countrywoman, Lorena Ochoa, who held the No. 1 ranking for 158 consecutive weeks. Lopez was ranked as high as No. 81 in the world in March 2017.
Boutier Climbs With Third Place Finish
Celine Boutier recorded her career best finish on the LPGA Tour at last week's Blue Bay LPGA where she finished third. Her top 10 finished moved her up 26 spots from No. 150 to No. 124 in the Rolex Rankings. Boutier won earlier this year on the Ladies European Tour at the Australian Ladies Classic Bonville.
Who Can Win the $1 Million Dollar Prize?
The Race to the CME Globe and it’s million dollar prize will be determined this weekend in Naples. This week, the season-long points were reset to give the top-5 point earners for the year a chance to win the $1 million dollar bonus if they win the Tournament on Sunday. But, the top 12 players in the standings have a mathematical chance of winning as well. In the event of a tie, players will go to a sudden death playoff following the end of Tournament play.
Here are the scenarios by which the top 12 can win the season-long race:
1. Ariya Jutanugarn – 5000 Points
- Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship
- Finish 40th or better to have a chance
2. Minjee Lee – 4750 Points
- Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship
- Finish 30th or better to have a chance
3. Brooke Henderson – 4500 Points
- Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship
- Finish 12th or better to have a chance
4. Nasa Hataoka – 4250 Points
- Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship
- Finish 9th or better to have a chance
5. Sung Hyun Park – 4000 Points
- Guaranteed to win with a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship
- Finish 8th or better to have a chance
6. Sei Young Kim – 3600 Points
- Finish 6th or better to have a chance
7. Jin Young Ko – 3200 Points
- Finish 4th or better to have a chance
8. So Yeon Ryu – 2800 Points
- Finish 3rd or better to have a chance
9. Moriya Jutanugarn – 2400 Points
- Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Ariya Jutanugarn finish 9th or worse, Minjee Lee finish 8th or worse, Brooke Henderson finish 7th or worse, Nasa Hataoka finish 6th or worse, Sung Hyun Park finish 5th or worse and Sei Young Kim finish 3rd or worse
10. Lydia Ko – 2100 Points
- Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Ariya Jutanugarn finish 12th or worse, Minjee Lee finish 10th or worse, Brooke Henderson finish 8th or worse, Nasa Hataoka finish 7th or worse, Sung Hyun Park finish 6th or worse, Sei Young Kim finish 5th or worse and Jin Young Ko finish 3rd or worse
11. Marina Alex – 1800 Points
- Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Ariya Jutanugarn finish 26th or worse, Minjee Lee finish 12th or worse, Brooke Henderson finish 10th or worse, Nasa Hataoka finish 8th or worse, Sung Hyun Park finish 7th or worse, Sei Young Kim finish 6th or worse and Jin Young Ko finish 4th or worse
12. Carlota Ciganda – 1600 Points
- Must win the CME Group Tour Championship and the following: Ariya Jutanugarn finish 41st or worse, Minjee Lee finish 21st or worse, Brooke Henderson finish 12th or worse, Nasa Hataoka finish 10th or worse, Sung Hyun Park finish 8th or worse, Sei Young Kim finish 7th or worse, Jin Young Ko finish 5th or worse and So Yeon Ryu finish 3rd or worse
Jutanugarn Closing In On Vare Trophy
Other than the Race to the CME Globe, the winner of the Vare Trophy is the only other award yet to be determined in 2018. Ariya Jutanugarn has locked up the remaining year-end awards and has an opportunity to clinch the Vare Trophy, which is awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average for the season.
Jutanugarn holds a narrow .165 lead ahead of rookie Jin Young Ko, who would need to finish 15 to 16 strokes better than Jutanugarn this week in Naples in order to take home the trophy. Minjee Lee, who is ranked third in scoring average, would need to finish 20 to 21 strokes better than Jutanugarn in order to win.
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