CME Group Tour Championship
Tiburon Golf Club | Naples, Fla. | Nov. 12-18, 2018
Fourth-Round Notes (Updated with Statistics Attached)
Nov. 18, 2018
Course Setup: 36-36—72, 6,457 yards (R4 scoring average: 71.804)
Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy with a high of 83; winds NE to ENE at 6-11 mph
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Player
|
To Par
|
Score
| |
1
|
Lexi Thompson
|
-18
|
65-67-68-70 (270)
|
2
|
Nelly Korda
|
-14
|
69-67-67-71 (274)
|
T3
|
Brittany Lincicome
|
-13
|
64-71-73-67 (275)
|
T3
|
So Yeon Ryu
|
-13
|
69-69-69-68 (275)
|
THOMPSON WINS CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
With one stroke of her putter, Lexi Thompson erased two seasons of bad memories and brought a glorious smile to her face. With a final-round 2-under 70, Thompson captured the CME Group Tour Championship at 18-under 270, earning a four-stroke win over second-place Nelly Korda.
“It's been a long year. Just the up and downs and just the things I've been dealing with, they all kind of hit me this year,” said Thompson, who spoke openly of her battles with personal demons throughout the year. “To be able to end the year like this and just keep on fighting throughout the whole year has meant the world to me. Just shows anything is possible. You have to fight through whatever you're going through.”
Thompson entered the day three strokes clear of Korda and held that advantage for much of the fourth round. Playing with Thompson and Carlota Ciganda in the final group, Korda pulled within two with a birdie at No. 13. But Thompson’s birdie at No. 14, combined with Korda’s bogey, gave Thompson a four-stroke advantage.
After putting her approach to No. 18 within 6 feet, Thompson converted a two-putt par and earned her first victory of 2018 in the year’s final event.
“I kind of just wanted to think to myself the whole day, just keep on making birdies, keep on going for the pins like you have been the last three days, and don't worry about other players,” said Thompson, who extended her winning streak to six years, the longest active streak on the LPGA Tour. “Just focus on yourself and keep on doing what you have been the last three days.”
JUTANUGARN CAPTURES RACE FOR THE CME GLOBE, SWEEPS SEASON AWARDS
It’s safe to say that Ariya Jutanugarn just completed one of the most stunning seasons in LPGA history. The young Thai, currently No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, won the Race to the CME Globe and the $1 million bonus that goes to that winner. She also won the Vare Trophy with a scoring average of 69.415, the LEADERS Top 10 competition with 17 top-10 finishes and the Money title at $2,667,983 and set single-season records in rounds in the 60s (57) and birdies (470).
Not too shabby. But the humble young player, as usual, deflected all the accolades in preference of the mental strides she has made over the last few years.
“Of course, I want to win the tournament. When you look at all the trophy, of course I want to win everything if I can,” said Jutanugarn, who earned three victories in 2018. “But when I keep thinking about that it's never helps me to get it. Since like last year when I start to thinking become world number, I try to win more tournament, it's getting worse all the time. So this year is mainly just work on that. I achieve my goal this year a lot.”
KORDA DELIVERS RUNNER-UP PERFORMANCE
Entering the final day of the LPGA Tour season in the final pairing at the CME Group Tour Championship, Nelly Korda remained in the hunt until a tough break on the par-4 13th.
After a birdie on No. 12 brought her within two shots of leader Lexi Thompson at -15, a two-shot swing on No. 13, where Thompson found birdie and Korda made bogey, ultimately proved to be the deciding factor.
“I played pretty solid, just made a couple mistakes,” said Korda. “Lexi played really well, really solid today. I think she hit probably almost every green. She made I think just two mistakes but bounced back really fast. I was just thinking take it shot by shot. I made a really bad mistake after that birdie and she just kind of ran with it after that.”
Nonetheless, Korda wraps up a season where she stepped into the winner’s circle for the first time in her young LPGA career and captured a total of nine top-15 finishes.
LINCICOME CLOSES STRONG FOR TOP-FIVE FINISH TO END SEASON
After struggling to find her rhythm in the third round, Brittany Lincicome rebounded nicely with a 5-under 67 to conclude the CME Group Tour Championship in a tie for third with So Yeon Ryu at 13-under overall.
“To finish top-five going into the offseason, obviously I made a few extra dollars because I'm not playing until January, but I feel pretty good about it,” said Lincicome said after her seventh top-10 performance of the year. “It was just nice, I held it together. Going into the off-season now and knowing I held it together and didn't bogey a few holes coming in will make me feel better.”
While Lincicome’s putting was not up to her standard in the middle two rounds, she took a different approach this afternoon to regain some confidence and kept her eyes off the leaderboard to avoid any distraction.
“I normally putt cross-hand when I'm under pressure and feel like my stroke isn't going to be good, and today I did more conventional,” said Lincicome, who averaged 28 putts per round at Tiburon Golf Club. “I did the short ones cross-hand, like inside 3 feet, and then all the other ones I did mostly conventional. Also, a couple holes I was trying not to look at the leaderboard because it just stresses me out and I try to do things I shouldn’t.”
QUIET YET STEADY WEEK FOR RYU
Perhaps the most under-the-radar name near the top of the leaderboard was the Republic of Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, who quietly notched four rounds in the 60s and finished tied for third. With a victory at the 2018 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and a UL International Crown title under her belt in 2018, Ryu looks back at her year as one of great triumph and much learning.
“I had a good time and bad time this year, but I guess most of the time was good time,” said Ryu, the only player this week with four rounds in the 60s. “The biggest thing I learned this year was I really have to be myself. I cannot really take everybody's opinion. I think that's one of the biggest lessons I had. Well, I've won once, but I'm looking forward to have more multiple winning for 2019.”
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 8 Lexi Thompson (65-67-68-70, -18)
- Thompson is playing in her fifth CME Group Tour Championship; her best finish is T2 in 2017
- She also played in the 2013 CME Group Titleholders held at Tiburon Golf Club
- She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens, with 27 putts
- This was Thompson’s 20th event of the 2018 season; she has six other top-10 finishes, with a best previous finish of T2 at the Honda LPGA Thailand
- Today’s win extends her yearly winning streak to six years (2013-2018), the longest active streak on the LPGA Tour
- Thompson is the 26th different winner of the 2018 LPGA season and the ninth American to reach the winner’s circle
Rolex Rankings No. 33 Nelly Korda (69-67-67-71, -14)
- Korda is playing in her second CME Group Tour Championship, finishing T8 in 2017
- She hit 13 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens, with 28 putts
- This was Korda’s 22nd event of the 2018 season; she became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship presented by CTBC and has five other top-10 finishes
CME GROUP CARES WEEKENDS EAGLES
CME Group Cares Weekends is a season-long charitable giving program that turns eagles into donations. For each eagle recorded during weekend play (Saturday and Sunday) throughout the 2018 LPGA Tour season, CME Group donates $1,000 to the program’s total donation count. At the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, the stakes are even higher, as the donation has been raised to a generous $5,000 per eagle. The money raised will go toward a charitable pool and be split evenly between Wounded Warrior Project® and Bright Pink®.
The weekend at the CME Group Tour Championship saw eight eagles, which translates to $40,000. Overall, the program raised $302,000 in 2018.
STATISTICAL NOTES AND UPDATES
RACE TO THE CME GLOBE FINAL STANDINGS
Ariya Jutanugarn wins the Race to the CME Globe by a margin of 1550 points over Brooke Henderson.
Player
|
Pre-Rank
|
Post-R. 1
|
Post-R. 2
|
Post-R. 3
|
Pos-R. 4
|
Reset Points
|
Final Points
|
Ariya Jutanugarn
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
5000
|
6750
|
Minjee Lee
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
T4
|
5
|
4750
|
4930
|
Brooke Henderson
|
3
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
4500
|
5200
|
Nasa Hataoka
|
4
|
1
|
4
|
T4
|
3
|
4250
|
5100
|
Sung Hyun Park
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
4000
|
4400
|
Sei Young Kim
|
6
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
7
|
3600
|
4300
|
Jin Young Ko
|
7
|
11
|
11
|
13
|
14
|
3200
|
3200
|
So Yeon Ryu
|
8
|
8
|
9
|
3
|
4
|
2800
|
5050
|
Moriya Jutanugarn
|
9
|
15
|
15
|
14
|
15
|
2400
|
2400
|
Lydia Ko
|
10
|
12
|
16
|
11
|
9
|
2100
|
3850
|
Marina Alex
|
11
|
13
|
8
|
10
|
10
|
1800
|
3550
|
Carlota Ciganda
|
12
|
10
|
12
|
9
|
11
|
1600
|
3350
|
VARE TROPHY UPDATE
Ariya Jutanugarn wins the 2018 Vare Trophy by 0.332 over Minjee Lee, earning her a point toward entrance into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame.
Entering Week
|
After R. 1
|
After R. 2
|
After R. 3
|
After R. 4
|
Difference
| |
Ariya Jutanugarn
|
69.431
|
69.437
|
69.452
|
69.448
|
69.415
|
-
|
Minjee Lee
|
69.642
|
69.646
|
69.701
|
69.745
|
69.747
|
0.332
|
Jin Young Ko
|
69.596
|
69.689
|
69.714
|
69.75
|
69.806
|
0.391
|
STATISTICAL RECORDS FOR ARIYA JUTANUGARN
ROUNDS IN THE 60S: Jutanugarn’s 57 rounds in the 60s this year are the most in a season in LPGA history.
57
|
Ariya Jutanugarn
|
2018
|
55
|
Ariya Jutanugarn
|
2016
|
51
|
Lorena Ochoa
|
2004
|
50
|
Moriya Jutanugarn
|
2017
|
50
|
Stacy Lewis
|
2014
|
SUB-PAR ROUNDS: Jutanugarn’s 80 sub-par rounds this year is tied for the third-most sub-par rounds in a season in LPGA history. Jutanugarn broke her previous record for most sub-par rounds in a season (74 in 2016).
85
|
Stacy Lewis
|
2014
|
83
|
Brooke Henderson
|
2016
|
80
|
Brooke Henderson
|
2017
|
80
|
Ariya Jutanugarn
|
2018
|
77
|
Moriya Jutanugarn
|
2017
|
BIRDIES: Jutanugarn entered the week having made 448 birdies. Jutanugarn’s 22 birdies made at the CME Group Tour Championship gives her a total of 470 birdies made in 2018, surpassing the LPGA record of 469 birdies in a season (set by herself in 2016).
470
|
Ariya Jutanugarn
|
2018
|
469
|
Ariya Jutanugarn
|
2016
|
460
|
Stacy Lewis
|
2014
|
455
|
Brooke Henderson
|
2016
|
442
|
Lorena Ochoa
|
2004
|
TOP 10S: With a top-10 finish at the CME Group Tour Championship, Jutanugarn breaks her career top-10 record of 16 in a season in 2016. In 2018, Jutanugarn recorded 17 top-10 finishes, averaging a top-10 finish every 1.65 events played.
TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS
18 holes: 62, Lydia Ko, 2016
36 holes: 132, Sung Hyun Park, 2017; Lydia Ko, 2016; Lexi Thompson, 2018
54 holes: 200, Lexi Thompson, 2018
72 holes: 269, Charley Hull, 2016
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