Here’s what’s on the line at this week’s CME, including a jam-packed LPGA Player of the Year race
The drama that surrounds the CME Group Tour Championship typically centers around much more than the mega-money awarded to the winner. In addition to the $2 million payday that’s on the line, the Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy winners will also be decided this week. Both awards come with one LPGA Hall of Fame point.
Atthaya Thitikul, a two-time winner this season who also spent a brief time as world No. 1, clinched Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors last week. Minjee Lee already has locked up two awards – the Rolex Annika Major Award and Aon Risk Reward Challenge, which comes with a $1 million prize.
Here’s what’s yet to be decided this week in Naples, Florida:
Rolex Player of the Year
Brooke Henderson tees off on the 18th hole during the 2022 CME Group Tour Golf Championship Pro-Am at the Tiburn Golf Club in Naples, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2022.
Four players have a mathematical chance to win the CME Group Tour Championship: Lydia Ko (150 points), Minjee Lee (149), Brooke Henderson (130) and Atthaya Thitikul (130).Players who finish inside the top 10 earn points. A victory is worth 30 points. Lee must finish 10th or better to have a chance. Henderson must win and have Ko and Lee finish third or worse. Thitikul must win and have Ko and Lee finish third or worse.
A tie would not be unprecedented. In 2017, So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park finished with an equal number of points and shared the award.
Vare Trophy
Lydia Ko tees off on the 18th hole during the 2022 CME Group Tour Golf Championship Pro-Am at the Tiburn Golf Club in Naples, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2022. (Chris Tilley)
Lydia Ko hasn’t mathematically clinched the Vare Trophy, but it would take something absolutely wild to unfold for her not to win it for a second consecutive year. Ko’s current average of 69.049 is 0.386 strokes ahead of Thitikul. The young Thai player needs to finish 35 strokes better than Ko to have a chance.
Hyo Joo Kim ranks second in scoring but is ineligible because she will not meet the minimum number of official rounds.
Money title
Minjee Lee during the first round of the 2022 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
A total of eight players have a chance to earn the LPGA money title this season. Minjee Lee currently leads the race at $3,759,835. She’s $1,136,100 ahead of In Gee Chun, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA. Chun must win the $2 million first-place prize and have Minjee Lee finish solo second or worse to top the list.
Other players who must win to have a chance include Ko, Henderson, Thitikul, Hye-Jin Choi, Jennifer Kupcho and Lexi Thompson.
Should Lee win, she’d break Lorena Ochoa’s single-season earnings record of $4,354,994, set in 2007.
