The 26-year-old with the smooth putting stroke was distracted early in the year by the failing health of her grandmother, who died in March right before the first major of the year. It feels like a late start this year, too. She spent most of the year in South Korea and didn’t show up in America until November.

Jin Young Ko won it last year in only her fourth LPGA event of the pandemic-delayed year. The tournament announced Wednesday the CME Group Tour Championship will offer a $7 million purse in 2022, with $2 million to the winner and $40,000 for last place. “Everyone would get a nice Christmas present.” “It would be crazy to win that,” Korda said. 60 - gets the biggest prize in women’s golf and is crowned the Race to CME Globe champion.

The math has never been simpler: Whoever wins the tournament - whether that’s Korda at No. The LPGA Tour has a points race all year that effectively becomes winner-take-all at the end. There is plenty at stake for Ko and the entire 60-player field. “I feel like there is a little less pressure on me because they have the player of the year and they’re so close in everything that I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to be spectating while playing tomorrow.’” “I might be third in the Race to CME, but I feel like I’m 100 compared to them,” Ko said. 3, who has reason to feel she’s just along for the ride. They play together in the opening round Thursday because of their 1-2 standing in the Race to CME Globe, along with Lydia Ko at No. Both have a chance to finish the year with a sub-69 scoring average, a feat accomplished only once on the LPGA Tour, nearly 20 years ago by Annika Sorenstam. They are separated by a mere 10 points in the race for LPGA player of the year, with Korda taking the lead with her playoff victory last week.

Jin Young Ko did her damage late, winning four times in the last two months.Įach has four victories going into the CME Group Tour Championship, the season finale on the LPGA Tour with more than just $1.5 million at stake. (AP) - Nelly Korda won tournaments nearly nine months apart, with a major and an Olympic gold medal in between.

Ok ko finale