CME Group Tour Championship 1c (1).png CME Group Tour Championship Tiburon Golf Club | Naples, Fla. | Nov. 18-21, 2021 Fourth-Round Notes Nov. 21, 2021 Course Setup: 36-36—72; 6,366 yards (Scoring Averages: R1, 69.102; R2, 70.490; R3: 70.459, R4: 69.163) Weather: Mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers this afternoon; light winds, peaking before noon with high temperatures in the lower 80s Media Contacts: Megan McGuire (386) 405-1338, Christina Lance (908) 963-1691, Zach Sepanik (486) 795-0594, Sarah Kellam (386) 212-8826 Quick Links: Leaderboard Transcripts Online Media Center Stats Box LPGA Statistical Database KPMG Performance Insights LEADERBOARD Player To Par Score 1 Jin Young Ko -23 69-67-66-63—265 2 Nasa Hataoka -22 69-69-64-64—266 T3 Mina Harigae -18 65-69-69-67—270 T3 Celine Boutier -18 65-65-72-68—270 JIN YOUNG KO SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS AT CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, WINS ROLEX PLAYER OF THE YEAR It’s a CME Cinderella story. Four players slept on the 54-hole co-lead, but only one came out on top with the $1.5 million winner’s prize. After battling a wrist injury that kept her from practicing at the CME Group Tour Championship, Jin Young Ko still proved nothing can hold her back. Ko scorched Tiburon Golf Club with a sizzling 63, which tied her career-best score for 18 holes and set the new tournament scoring record at -23. The win also secured Ko her second Rolex Player of the Year award, as she becomes the first Korean player to achieve the feat twice. It is her 12th career victory and fifth of the season, becoming the first player to record five wins in a season since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016. She is the third Korean to win five or more times in an LPGA Tour season, along with Sei Re Pak and Inbee Park. “I don't have pressure on the course. I just want to better play than the other players. So, I did it, and, yeah,” said Ko, who had more wins (five) than rounds in the 70s (four) in her last nine events. “Also, I'm happy to make like my best career score today, 63; 64 was my best score, record, but I crushed it and it's so happy.” Ko hit 63 straight greens in regulation to finish the week, with her last missed green in regulation on No. 9 in the first round. She recorded only one bogey over her last 63 holes played with 24 birdies in that stretch. Nine of those came on Sunday, including six on her front nine, closing with a 30 as she made the turn. When asked about the most important shot from the day, Ko said there were three. “Number one is No. 3 hole, second shot with the 7-iron. And number two on No. 8, par-3. I got maybe three feet. Yep, with a controlled 9-iron,” said Ko. “And No. 17, second shot with the 6-iron. I got two on so two-putt and made birdie.” Ko’s season was one for the ages. Despite no major championship titles, Ko walks away with the largest prize in women’s golf, a scoring average of 68.774, five victories and Rolex Player of the Year. But, the 26-year-old only has one thing on her mind this offseason. “I want to keep the golf clubs at a distance and not think about golf and get a good sleep. Just want to put potato chips in my stomach and watch Netflix.” Nasa Hataoka put up a fight on the final day to finish second at -22 after posting an 8-under 64 that included nine birdies. It was her second-consecutive 64 of the event. Mina Harigae and two-time LPGA Tour winner Celine Boutier finished in a tie for third at -18. Megan Khang, along with 2021 major champions Nelly Korda and Minjee Lee, tied for fifth at -17. Korda, who was among the 54-hole co-leaders with Ko, Hataoka and Boutier, finished her season averaging 4.90 birdies-or-better per round. It’s the best single-season rate for any player with 40 or more rounds played in the last 30 LPGA Tour seasons. “Honestly, it was definitely the Jin Young Ko show today. It was really cool to witness. Obviously, I wish I could have kind of given it a better run, but in all, I think I had a great year. I'm just going to kind of look back on that and enjoy it. But today, she just played amazing golf. There is not much you can do. Just sit back and watch honestly,” said Korda, who will tee it up in the PNC Championship this December with her father, Petr. Lexi Thompson finished the week at -16 in solo eighth. Lydia Ko, In Gee Chun and Gaby Lopez rounded out the top 10 in a tie for ninth at -15. JIN YOUNG KO WINS 2021 PLAYER OF THE YEAR She controlled her own fate and Jin Young Ko executed on Sunday at Tiburón Golf Club. The 26-year-old entered the week in Naples, Fla., needing to win the CME Group Tour Championship to secure Rolex Player of the Year honors, or to finish second and have Nelly Korda to finish 10th or worse. Ko took matters into her own hands, carding a bogey-free, 9-under 63 in the final round to secure the $1.5 million winner’s share and the title of Player of the Year. “It’s really a great honor to get Player of the Year,” said Ko. “Nelly [also] played really well, had a great year, even [won the] gold medal, win a major tournament and three other wins this year. I feel little sad to Nelly, but I was a little luckier than her, so I got the Player of the Year.” Ko becomes the first Republic of Korea native to win Player of the Year twice (2019, 2021). Four other Koreans have captured the award: Sei Young Kim (2020), Inbee Park (2013), So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park, who shared the award in 2017. “I didn’t know that, and I’m happy to get Player of the Year again,” Ko said. “It’s a great honor to twice get the Player of the Year. And especially since we have a lot of good players from Korea on this Tour.” AFTER ROCKETING UP LEADERBOARD, NASA HATAOKA FINISHES SECOND IN SEASON FINALE For most players, backing up one low round with another low round is a tall order, especially at a course like Tiburón Golf Club. But for Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 8 Nasa Hataoka, the task seemed easy to accomplish on Sunday at the CME Group Tour Championship. The 22-year-old fired her second straight 8-under 64 after carding nine birdies and hitting 13 of 14 fairways, as well as 16 greens in the final round. It’s the 11th time Hataoka has shot 64 and her four-day total of 22-under par 266 is a new career-best for 72 holes, besting her previous benchmark by two shots. Though she ultimately finished runner-up to Jin Young Ko, Hataoka remains proud of her performance this week in Naples, Fla., and is looking forward to coming back better than ever in 2022, ready to compete for a record-breaking $86 million in official prize money on the LPGA Tour. “Today I was in the final pairing so there was a little bit of pressure with that,” she said. “But I feel like I played my own golf, so I'm really satisfied with that. I had one thing in my mind: routine. There was a few times where there was a lot of pressure, but I was able to think simply which helped me a lot today. Fortunately, there are 34 tournaments next year. That's a lot. Obviously, I can't play every tournament, but I want to play as many as I can, so I'll prep for that.” It’s been a banner year for Japanese golf and Hataoka has certainly contributed to that success, winning twice on the LPGA Tour at the Dana Open presented by Marathon and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. She also finished second in the U.S. Women’s Open at the Olympic Club and finished in a tie for ninth in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play hosted by Shadow Creek. While she’s proud of her country’s golfing prowess throughout 2021 and is happy for her counterparts’ success, Hataoka feels like her play this year still left something to be desired and she’ll have a singular goal in the forefront of her mind as she looks forward to next season. “It was a big year for Japan. Not many players on the Tour are from Japan, but I think the Masters win, Hideki's win, was something very big for us. He lives close to where I live in Orlando, so we practice together. (His win) definitely meant something special for me. I would like to do something similar to that,” she said of Japan’s historic 2021. “This year I wasn't really playing how I wanted to until this June, but I was able to play in a playoff in a major tournament and I won twice. Overall, it wasn't a consistent year, but how I was able to win was good. “When I turned pro one of my biggest goals was to win a major in five years. This year was the fifth year, so I really wanted to win this year. That goal won't change. I still have strong feelings about winning majors.” LYDIA KO CAPTURES VARE TROPY WITH STELLAR FINISH As she walked away to hug her family and pack up for the drive back home to Orlando, Lydia Ko stopped and smiled when she realized something. “Eight under today to finish off my eighth year,” she said, referring to the 64 she shot on Sunday in the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship to finish tied for ninth at 15-under par, a fitting capstone of a season that earned Ko the Vare Trophy for low stroke average. The CME represented Ko’s 10th top-10 of 2021, which included one victory at the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii, marking one of the most consistent seasons she’s had in her career. The closing 64 also marked a new trend. It was the sixth time in 2021 that the 24-year-old New Zealander shot 65 or better in the final round. “You want to finish every tournament on a high. But this being the last (event of the year), there is no redemption. There is no next event,” Ko said. “So, yeah, I just wanted to play well. I think that's why, over this weekend, I got a little bit more frustrated over mistakes that maybe at times I would just normally go, ‘Oh, it's okay.’ But especially with the Vare Trophy being at the back of my mind, I think I just really wanted to top it off. To be able to have done that, there is no better way to finish this year.” The Vare was one of the few awards Ko had yet to capture. And it was one of the reasons she changed her plans late in the year. After competing in an LET event in the Middle East, she planned to take a break before the CME Group Tour Championship. Then she learned that she needed to post a few more rounds to be eligible to win the Vare, so she signed up for the Pelican Women’s Championship. That turned out to be a fortuitous move as Ko finished tied for second at Pelican, losing to a Nelly Korda birdie on the first playoff hole. “(The Vare Trophy) is really special because obviously it sums up the whole season,” Ko said after locking up the award in Naples. “All the other (awards and records) do, too. But at the end of the day golf is about how consistently well you can play and what kind of low scores you can shoot. The Vare Trophy obviously exemplifies that. I think I've only been close one year and I just missed out on the trophy. “I didn't even know that I was close this year until news came out and I realized a couple months ago. Last week (at the Pelican) wasn't really on my schedule. But it ended up being worth it because finishing tied second and to have won (the Vare) feels special. It just makes a good year even better.” For more on Lydia Ko winning the Vare Trophy on LPGA.com, click here: https://www.lpga.com/news/2021/lydia-ko-captures-vare-trophy-with-stellar-finish CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE—SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program turning aces into donations. CME Group donates $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour during the 2021 season with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which leads the way in how the world understands, treats, and defeats childhood cancer and life-threatening diseases. The 2020 LPGA Tour season saw 13 aces from 13 different players, while the 2019 campaign had 32 total aces from 31 different competitors for a total of $620,000. That more than covered the average cost of $425,000 needed to treat a pediatric cancer patient. Through 29 tournaments in 2021, 19 holes-in-one have been made for a total of $380,000 donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the program. A total donation of $850,000 was made through CME Group, thanks in part from the Jimmy Buffett concert this past Wednesday. PLAYER NOTES Rolex Rankings No. 2, Jin Young Ko With the victory, Jin Young Ko clinches 2021 Rolex Player of the Year honors Ko has been No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for 114 total weeks, the second-most in history behind Annika Sorenstam’s 158 weeks Swept the LPGA Tour’s major 2019 awards, winning Rolex Player of the Year, Rolex Annika Major Award, Vare Trophy and Official Money Title honors Her 114 consecutive bogey-free holes in 2019 bested Tiger Woods’ record of 110; is the longest known streak in LPGA and PGA Tour history In 2018, clinched Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors with four events remaining in the season Became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and joined Beverly Hanson (1951 Eastern Open) as the only players in LPGA Tour history to win their debut as Tour member PURSE $5 million purse; $1.5 million winner’s prize, the largest in women’s golf SOCIAL MEDIA: #DRIVEON Tournament: @CMEGroupLPGA (Twitter), @CMEGroupTourChamp (Instagram); #RacetotheCMEGlobe LPGA: @LPGA, @LPGAMedia (Twitter), @lpga_tour (Instagram) TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS 18 holes: 62, Lydia Ko, second round, 2016 36 holes: 130, Celine Boutier, 2021 54 holes: 200, Lexi Thompson, 2018; Sei Young Kim, 2019 72 holes: 265 (-23), Jin Young Ko, 2021