NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Thailand’s Gino Titikul fought off an early challenge from Pajari Anannarkhan to finish with a 4-under 68 to win the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday and earn an additional $4 million in prize money, capping off a great year with the biggest prize in women’s golf.
Titikul won for the third time on the LPGA Tour this year, making a final birdie on the final hole at Tiburon Golf Club and posting the lowest average score in tour history.
There was never any doubt about this when Titikul started six strokes behind American Nelly Korda, who replaced her at No. 1 in the women’s world rankings this year.
However, Anantnarkarn made five birdies in seven holes, closing within two strokes of the back nine and clinching the match. Titikul birdied the 10th and 13th holes before his Thai friend dropped a shot on the par-3 12th to push his lead back to five strokes.
From there, as I neared the finish line, the 18th green began to fill with bubbles. She joins Ko Jin Young as the only consecutive winners of the CME Group Tour Championship.
Titicle won by four strokes at 26-under 262.
The win secured her the LPGA Player of the Year award and the Vale Trophy for lowest scoring average, two of women’s golf’s biggest awards.
Korda will be the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2010 to go from a seven-win season to winless the following year.
