NAPLES, Fla. — Somi Lee decided to change her putting grip, and it paid off in a big way at the CME Group Tour Championship on Thursday, as the Korean opened with an 8-under 64 and held a two-stroke lead in the chase for the $4 million prize.
Because of the warm conditions, Lee started to pull away one club down to his 5-iron and made an eagle on the par-5 17th. Her only failure was a long three-putt bogey on the final hole at Tiburon Golf Club.
Still, she was two strokes behind former U.S. Women’s Open champion Arisen Corpuz.
Gino Titicle, the No. 1 player and leading candidate for LPGA Player of the Year, had a round of 67 with six birdies, tying him with three other players. Titicle won last year’s Tour Championship, and unless Japan’s Miyu Yamashita wins this tournament, she will win the Player of the Year award.
Yamashita, who had two wins this year including the Women’s Open, had a slow start with two bogeys and started with a 70.
Nelly Korda, looking to avoid a winless year after winning seven titles a year ago, missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the 17th with a lackluster round of 71.
Lee teamed with Jin Hee-im at the Dow Championship and was one of 29 players to win on the LPGA this year. She had a solid year, finishing 14th in the race to CME Grove, but felt the putts were holding her back. That’s when she turned to recent LPGA Hall of Fame member Lydia Ko.
“I just copied Lydia Ko’s putter grip, because she’s a good player, and I thought, ‘What if I copy the putter grip of a good player?'” It worked out really well, Lee said.
She tried it out last week, made some adjustments, and did well at the Tour Championship, taking just 27 putts in the round.
The Top 60 has reached the season finale and the Race to CME Globe rankings have lost meaning. The winner of the tournament will take home $4 million, the richest prize in women’s golf, out of an $11 million purse.
“I know it’s like playing with a $4 million check, but I think it’s almost like a bonus for me to be able to play here in a year like this,” Titicle said. “This year has been going really well, so I don’t have to think about it that much.”
Titikul tied for third place with Lim, Nasa Hataoka, and Sei-young Kim. Major champions Grace Kim (Evian Championship) and Minjee Lee (Women’s PGA) joined the group at age 68.
