The LPGA Tour’s 2017 season wraps up this week with the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla.
Along with the crowning of the champion of the tournament finale, 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 the LPGA Tour’s version of the FedExCup, a season-long points competition.
The field will include the top 72 LPGA players in the points standings, headlined by the top-five points leaders: No. 1 Lexi Thompson, Sung Hyun Park (2), Shanshan Feng (3), So Yeon Ryu (4), and Brooke Henderson (5).
If any of the top-five players win the CME Group Tour Championship, they will also be crowned the CME Globe winner as well – along with a $1 million bonus. Players ranked from No. 6 to No. 12 also have a mathematical shot, but it gets dicey laying out scenarios.
12 CME GLOBE CONTENDERS
1 Lexi Thompson (5,000)
2 Sung Hyun Park (4,750)
3 Shanshan Feng (4,500)
4 So Yeon Ryu (4,250)
5 Brooke Henderson (4,000)
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6 In Gee Chun (3,600)
7 Cristie Kerr (3,200)
8 Moriya Jutanugarn (2,800)
9 Ariya Jutanugarn (2,400)
10 Anna Nordqvist (2,100)
11 Stacy Lewis (1,800)
12 Lydia Ko (1,600)
HISTORY
The CME Group Tour Championship debuted in November 2014, following five seasons of two similar, but different, season-enders: the LPGA Tour Championship (2009-2010) and the CME Group Titleholders (2011-2013).
The title sponsor is the CME Group, a financial securities corporation based in Chicago.
The inaugural winner was New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who posted a 10-under and beat Carlota Ciganda and Julieta Granada in a playoff. The next two contests (2015 and 2016) were won by Cristie Kerr (-17) and Charley Hull (-19), respectively.
The tournament has been played at Tiburon Golf Club’s Gold Course since its inception, dating back to the CME Titleholder’s final edition in 2013, where Shanshan Feng edged Gerina Piller by a stroke.
FORMER CHAMPIONS
2016: Charley Hull 67-70-66-66 (−19)
2015: Cristie Kerr 68-69-66-68 (−17)
2014: Lydia Ko 71-71-68-68 (−10)
TOURNAMENT RECORDS
Low Round: 62 – Lydia Ko (Round 2, 2016)
Low Score: 269 (-19) – Charley Hull (2016)
THE SKINNY
Name: CME Group Tour Championship
Course: Tiburon Golf Club (Gold)
Where: Naples, Fla.
Distance: 6,556 Yards, Par 71
Field: 72 players
Format: 72-hole stroke play/no cut
Total Purse: $2,500,000
Winner’s Share: $500,000
CME Globe Bonus: $1,000,000
2016 CME Tournament Winner: Charley Hull (England)
2016 CME Points Winner: Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand)
TV COVERAGE
Rd 1: Thu. 4:30 – 6:30 pm (GOLF)
Rd 2: Fri. 4:30 – 6:30 pm (GOLF)
Rd 3: Sat. 4:30 – 6:30 pm (GOLF)
Rd 4: Sun. 1:00 – 4:00 pm (ABC)
THE FIELD: BY THE NUMBERS
2017 LPGA WINNERS (21)
- Shanshan Feng (3)
- LPGA Volvik Championship, TOTO Japan Classic, Blue Bay LPGA
- In-Kyung Kim (3)
- ShopRite LPGA Classic, Marathon Classic, Ricoh Women’s British Open
- Lexi Thompson (2)
- Kingsmill Championship, Indy Women in Tech Championship
- Sung Hyun Park (2)
- U.S. Women’s Open, CP Women’s Open
- Brooke Henderson (2)
- Meijer LPGA Classic, MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open
- Cristie Kerr (2)
- LOTTE Championship, Sime Darby LPGA
- So Yeon Ryu (2)
- ANA Inspiration, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
- Anna Nordqvist (2)
- Bank of Hope Founders Cup, Evian Championship
- Danielle Kang
- KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
- Katherine Kirk
- Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
- Jin Young Ko
- LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
- Brittany Lincicome
- Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic
- Stacy Lewis
- Cambia Portland Classic
- Sei Young Kim
- Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play
- Mirim Lee
- Kia Classic
- Amy Yang
- Honda LPGA Thailand
- Ha Na Jang
- ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open
- Haru Nomura
- Volunteers of America Texas Shootout
- Ariya Jutanugarn
- Manulife LPGA Classic
- Mi Hyang Lee
- Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open
2017 LPGA ROOKIES (7)
Aditi Ashok, Nicole Broch Larsen, Peiyun Chien, Nelly Korda, Sung Hyun Park, Madelene Sagstrom, Angel Yin
FORMER CME GROUP WINNERS (3)
- 2016: Charley Hull
- 2015: Cristie Kerr
- 2014: Lydia Ko
UP NEXT ON TOUR
The CME Group Tour Championship is the final tournament of the 2017 LPGA Tour season.
The Tour will go on a two-month-plus break and return at the end of January 2018 to kickoff the new season with the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Club in Nassau.
Credits: LPGA Tour Communications, Getty Images