NAPLES (Fla.) Lydia Ko won the most in one day at the CME Group Tour Championship. With a win of 2 million, she was awarded the highest prize in women’s golf at $2million.
Ko outlasted Leona MaguireIreland took control of the final round with a 7 foot birdie putt on hole 16 and closed with 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory.
Ko was unflappable in strong winds but not often, and she wept when she hit in for par on the last hole at Tiburon golf club.
Ko stated, There were a lot of things at stake today. I wanted to play the best possible golf. It was going to be a difficult battle, especially considering the challenging conditions.
The $2 million prize increased her season earnings to just above $4.3 million. This leaves her $591 short Lorena Oboas single-season earnings record of $7.3 million set in 2007. Ko was awarded the points-based LPGA player award for the year for second time. Ko also won the Vare trophy for having the lowest scoring score for the second consecutive season.
Each of the Player of the Year and Vare Trophy is worth one point. Along with the victory, she has 25 points towards the 27 required for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Maguire was tied for second at the end of the final round. Maguire took the lead with a birdie on Maguires par-3 eighth hole. Ko was still in the lead by 1 shot after she hit her tee ball just short of the flag at the par-3 16th hole and made the 7 foot birdie putt.
Ko two-putted 25 feet to make birdie on the par-5 17th hole.
Ko finished 17-under 271 to win the LPGA Tour finale. She won the CME Group Tour Championship title in 2014, when she was 17. She was already a dominant figure in women’s golf.
Ko is just 25 years old and is now in the LPGA Hall of Fame. Its a testament to her long-standing excellence.
Ko said, Im glad the 2014 photo I won with my glasses can still be updated.
She finishes the year with three wins — her first multi-win season since 2016 — as well as nine other top five finishes.
Maguires hopes started to fade when she hit a fairway ball so thin on her par-5 14th that the ball didnt cross hazard. She was penalized and couldnt make it to the green in strong wind. To save her bogey, she had to stand up with a wedge.
Ko hit her second shot off the hillside and into the hazards, but she also made bogey, thereby keeping the lead at one shot.
Maguire scored 72 to finish second. It was worth $550,000, which is $7 million. Anna NordqvistTo finish third, he had a 67.
Ko is planning to get married and enters the offseason. This is the last tournament as a single woman, she joked at the trophy presentation.
She now has 19 career victories. The first one was in Canada, 10 years ago, when she was an amateur at 15. This made her the youngest person to win an LPGA Tour event.
