Jeeno Thitikul finished her season in the best way possible by winning the CME Group Tour Championship, breaking an LPGA scoring record, and securing the Player of the Year title. The 22-year-old from Thailand played with calm and strength in Florida, showing again why she is the world’s top women’s golfer.
Even though she won by four shots, Thitikul’s journey to the final event wasn’t easy. Just two months earlier, she lost a tournament after a painful four-putt finish. Last week, she injured her wrist on the firm turf in Dallas and wasn’t even sure she could play a full four rounds at Tiburon Golf Club.
“I just wanted to finish four rounds this week,” she said. “Standing here with the trophy is more than I could ever ask for.”
Dominant Performance Under Pressure
Thitikul started the final round with a six-shot lead over Nelly Korda, but fellow Thai golfer Pajaree Anannarukarn made the early holes exciting. Pajaree made five birdies in her first seven holes, cutting the lead to just two shots.
Thitikul stayed calm. She made important birdies on the 10th and 13th holes, while Pajaree lost a shot on the 12th. After that, Thitikul kept her lead until the end.
She finished with a 4-under 68 and ended the tournament at 26-under.
Breaking an LPGA Record
Her last birdie on the 18th hole not only secured her win but also helped her break Annika Sorenstam’s long-standing LPGA scoring record. Thitikul ended the season with a record-low scoring average of 68.681, just beating Sorenstam’s 2002 record of 68.697.
“I never even dreamed of holding this record,” she said. “It’s amazing.”
Massive Prize and Major Honors
For her win, Thitikul earned $4 million, the biggest winner’s paycheck in women’s golf. Her total earnings for the season reached more than $7.5 million.
She also secured:
- LPGA Player of the Year
- Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average
- Back-to-back CME Group Tour Championship titles, becoming only the second player ever to do so
Pajaree Anannarukarn finished second at 22-under, ending an impressive run as the last player to qualify for the 60-player field.
Nelly Korda, who won seven times last year but did not win this season, finished third after a slow start. She played a great back nine with a score of 31, including an eagle, but it was not enough to catch Thitikul.
“It was a grind this year,” Korda said. “Lots of ups and downs, but I learned a lot.”
Final Leaderboard
- -26 Jeeno Thitikul (THA)
- -22 Pajaree Anannarukarn (THA)
- -20 Nelly Korda (USA)
- -19 Gaby Lopez (MEX)
- -17 Nasa Hataoka (JPN)
English golfers Lottie Woad and Charley Hull both finished at 11-under.
