NAPLES, Fla. — Down by two shots with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew exactly what was needed to capture the biggest prize in women’s golf history.
And another eagle-birdie finish — for the second straight day — made it happen.
Thitikul claimed the record-setting $4 million first-place check by winning the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It’s the biggest money prize in women’s golf history, bigger than even the winner’s shares in three of the four men’s major championships this year.
Her plans for all that cash?
“Definitely spend it,” Thitikul said. “That’s an honest answer, for sure. Definitely going to spend it for a little while.”
Thitikul shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday and finished the week at 22 under, one shot ahead of Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee, only to wind up settling for the $1 million runner-up check.
Yin — who missed the start of the season after breaking her leg over the winter — hardly sounded defeated after finishing second and more than doubling her 2024 earnings in four days.
“I’m pretty awesome. … I’ve learned that I just need to believe my myself and that’s what I did,” Yin said.
Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko (63) finished third at 17 under, her nine birdies coming in a 13-hole span.
“I’m excited to be able to work hard this offseason and have another great 2025,” Ko said.
The win and the massive check came down to the 18th hole, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21 under after a back-and-forth day atop the leaderboard — both knowing a mistake would likely come with a $3 million cost.
They both hit the fairway on 18. Thitikul’s approach was nearly perfect, stopping about 5 feet from the cup. Yin’s response stopped maybe 15 feet away, giving Thitikul the edge as they walked up the fairway.
Yin’s birdie putt just missed. Thitikul’s was dead center. And history was hers.
She already had clinched a $1 million bonus this week through the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a competition based on how players score on a designated hole each week. In the end, it wound up as a whopping $5 million week for the 21-year-old from Thailand — and going 8 under over the four days on the Nos. 17 and 18 at Tiburon Golf Club made it happen.
“All the hard work paid off,” Thitikul said.
Yin and Thitikul were tied for the lead entering the final round at 15 under. It didn’t take long for Thitikul to jump in front, with birdies on two of the first three holes to grab a two-shot edge. Her lead vanished on the par-4 fourth; Yin made birdie, Thitikul bogey and just like that they were tied again.
It seemed like Yin seized some sort of control on the par-3 16th. Her birdie putt from across the green — about 25 feet — rolled in for a two-shot lead with two holes to play. But her second shot at the par-5 17th missed the green right, and the door was opened for Thitikul.
The eagle-birdie finish Saturday left Thitikul tied for the lead.
The eagle-birdie finish Sunday made Thitikul a winner like none other in women’s golf.
“Actually, I don’t know what’s happened to me on 17 and 18,” Thitikul said. “Having eagle is more than I can ask for.”
Ruoning Yin (68) was alone in fourth at 16 under, and LPGA player of the year Nelly Korda (66) finished at 15 under along with Narin An (68). Ayaka Furue finished at 13 under, good enough to give her the Vare Trophy as the LPGA’s season-long scoring champion over Haeran Ryu.
Lexi Thompson — a 15-time winner as a pro who plans to step away from full-time golf — finished at 2 under. It’s not clear how often Thompson plans to play in 2025 and beyond; that said, she returns to Tiburon the week of Dec. 9 for the Grant Thornton Invitational, where she’ll team with Rickie Fowler in the event featuring PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players.
“I’m not going anywhere, guys.” Thompson said. “I’ll be back in two weeks.”
There were two players who said they were retiring after Sunday’s round: Marina Alex, who shot 66 to finish at 12 under, and Ally Ewing, who closed with a 68 to wrap up the week at 11 under.
“I’m happy to have ended on my best,” said Alex, a bottle of sparkling wine in her right hand, a bouquet of flowers in the other.
Added Ewing: “I’ve been at peace with my decision. It’s just so nice to be able to share the walk with my family this week.”
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Be the first to comment