Top 60 golfers locked in for season-ending CME Group Championship

Golf

Published: 14 Nov. 2022, 17:01 Updated: 14 Nov. 2022, 17:05

Top 60 golfers locked in for season-ending CME Group Championship

Nelly Korda reacts after sinking a birdie putt on the 17th green during the final round of the LPGA Pelican Women's Championship golf tournament at Pelican Golf Club on Sunday in Belleair, Florida. [AP/YONHAP]

Nelly Korda of the United States won the Pelican Women's Championship trophy on Sunday, ending the penultimate tournament of the 2022 LPGA Tour and setting the field of the top 60 golfers for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

Korda defended her title on Sunday and won her eighth LPGA title with a score of 14-under-par, outplaying countrywoman Lexi Thompson by one stroke. With the trophy, Korda is projected to move up to No. 1 on the world rankings and from 27th to 15th on the CME Globe points list.

This year, the Pelican Women’s Championship was delayed by a day and cut to 54 holes with heavy rain and strong winds forecast after the first round.

Kim Sei-young plays her shot from the 11th tee during the second round of the Pelican Women's Championship at Pelican Golf Club on Saturday in Belleair, Florida. [AFP/YONHAP]

Kim Hyo-joo reacts after missing a putt on the 17th green during the final round of the LPGA Pelican Women's Championship golf tournament at Pelican Golf Club on Sunday in Belleair, Florida. [AP/YONHAP]

The best Korean finish was Kim Sei-young, who tied for 17th with five-under-par, 205. Kim Sei-young had won the inaugural Pelican Women’s Championship in 2020 and narrowly missed out on last year’s trophy after a four-way playoff against Korda, Lydia Ko and Thompson.

Kim Hyo-joo also tied for 17th alongside Kim Sei-young. Despite starting out the final round tied for seventh and three strokes short of the top position, Kim Hyo-joo carded three birdies, three bogies and slipped on the last hole on Sunday with a double bogey on the par-4 18th.

The Pelican Women’s Championship was the last opportunity for golfers to earn points before the CME Group Tour Championship.

The CME Group Tour Championship is the final event on the LPGA Tour this season and it is the culmination of the season-long points competition, the Race to the CME Globe. LPGA golfers accumulate points in every official LPGA event to enter the season-ending championship.

After this week's penultimate Pelican Women's Championship, the field will be set for the top 60 players in the Race to the CME Globe points standings.

There are a total of 12 Koreans in the top 60. The top Korean is LPGA rookie Choi Hye-jin, who is No. 5 with 2,146.115 points. Chun In-gee is No. 9, Kim Hyo-joo is No. 12, Ko Jin-young is No. 19, An Na-rin is No. 35, Kim Sei-young is No. 37, Kim A-lim is No. 38, Ji Eun-hee is No. 41, Chella Choi is No. 45, Lee Jeong-eun is No. 48, Park In-bee is No. 51 and Amy Yang is No. 53.

Reigning CME champion Ko Jin-young, despite failing to make the cut after carding a 69 in the first round then a 74 in the second round at the Pelican Women’s Championship, will be looking to defend her CME Group Tour Championship title for the second time on Thursday.

Last season, she was able to clinch the most important trophy of the LPGA season, defending her title which then also won the Rolex Player of the Year award.

Park In-bee announced Monday that she will not be competing at the season-ending event due to an ankle injury despite landing within the top 60 in the CME Globe points standings.

The CME Group Tour Championship will tee off on Thursday and will end on Sunday.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]