Lydia Ko pockets record $1.5 Million for victory in the CME Group Tour Championship & the Race to the GME Globe title in Naples
Exactly one year ago Lydia Ko (pictured above) picked up a check for $16,063 as reward for her performance at the 2013 CME Group Tour Championship . Roll forward to today and Ko is somewhat wealthier as she collected the not insignificant sum of $1.5 million, the largest pay day ever on the LPGA Tour.
Ko’s first year on the tour has been an unprecedented success and this weekend she pocketed all the spoils, winning the LPGA Tour’s season ending Tour Championship in Naples, Florida. It was her third victory in 26 starts this year and ensured that she collected the Race to the CME Globe title, the tour’s inaugural season-long points race.
As a result, Ko won US$500,000 for the tournament victory, achieved after an exhilarating four-hole playoff, and a bonus of US$1m for winning the LPGA Tour’s equivalent of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup.
Earlier this year, when she won the Marathon Classic, the world No 3 became the youngest millionaire in the tour’s history.
Ko started the final round today at the Tiburon Golf Club in a share of fifth at six-under par, three shots off the pace and slightly behind world No 1 Stacy Lewis in the Race to the CME Globe’s projected standings.
She made birdies on the fourth, sixth and eighth holes which, coupled with some struggles from the leaders, saw her lead by one shot at the turn, over third round leader Julieta Granada of Paraguay (pictured below) and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda.
Ko soon doubled that lead, getting to four-under for the day and 10-under for the tournament with a superb approach to the par-four 13th hole. A two foot putt gave her another birdie.
Ciganda (pictured above) levelled with birdies at the 13th and 14th holes and Ko missed an eight-footer for birdie on the 15th, ensuring there would be a tight finish.
Elsewhere, world number one Stacey Lewis,(pictured above), who was number one in the GME Globe race, found it difficult to make any inroads to the leader board and eventually had to settle for a one-under 71 and a tie for ninth place. South Korea’s world No 2, Inbee Park, who was second in the Race to the CME Globe, finished tied for 24th place effectively ruling out her challenge for the title.
That meant Ko only needed to finish in the top three to claim the US$1 million bonus, but Granada made it even more interesting as she rolled in three successive birdies at 13, 14 and 15, to join the leaders at 10-under.
Both Ko and Ciganda had chances to win the tournament outright in the regulation 72 holes but Ciganda missed a three footer for birdie at the 17th while Ko left a longer 12 foot birdie opportunity short on the 18th.
This left three players heading back to the 18th tee for a playoff. All three parred the first time around but Granada was eliminated at the second hole when she missed a four-foot putt for par.
Ciganda then had an opportunity to seal the win but she pushed her five foot putt wide of the right edge of the hole on the third play off hole. On the fourth play off hole the Spaniard hit her second shot into the hazard and that gave Ko a two putt opportunity for the win.
After the win Ko said: “When I saw that $1 million in the (glass) box, I was like, ‘Wow, I wonder who the winner of that will be?’ I’ve never seen that much cash in one place before. But I wasn’t thinking about the money all day. I just was thinking about making birdies. … This year has been awesome. Three wins, rookie of the year, it’s a huge honor for me to be here in this position.”
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