Minjee Lee firmly maintains her position atop the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award Standings through the first three majors of the year. Brooke Henderson, who captured the season’s third major at the Amundi Evian Championship, climbed into a share of second in the standings along with Jennifer Kupcho and In Gee Chun.
Lee won the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica and added a runner-up finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to sit atop the standings with 84 points. Kupcho, who captured the Chevron Championship, sits in a tie for second with Chun, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and Henderson, the Tour’s most recent major winner, with 60 points.
Henderson waited six long years between major victories, following up her maiden 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship win with a second major title on Sunday in Evian-les-Bains. The Canadian dazzled with back-to-back opening rounds of 64 to take early command of the championship. Although she stumbled on Sunday to allow five different players to take a share of the final round lead, the 24-year-old rolled in a critical birdie putt on the 72nd hole to eke out a one-stroke victory. The win marks her second win in as many months on the LPGA Tour.
“Started off kind of poorly, but to be able to bounce back on the back nine really means a lot,” said Henderson about the three birdies she made over the final five holes. “Obviously to make that putt on 18 was just a huge relief so I didn't have to play that hole again. Just super excited to have this trophy and to be a second-time major champion.”
Lexi Thompson, who did not play in the Amundi Evian Championship, sits at fifth in the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award point standings following her runner-up finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Hye-Jin Choi, who finished fifth at both the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as well as the U.S. Women’s Open sits T7 with 30 points. Choi is tied with Lydia Ko, who was T3 at the Amundi Evian Championship
At No. 9 in the point standings sits Jessica Korda, who was runner-up at The Chevron Championship. She has 26 points. At No. 10 are Mina Harigae, who finished runner-up to Lee at the U.S. Women’s Open, and Sophia Schubert, the rookie who finished second to Henderson at the Amundi Evian Championship. They each have earned 24 points.
The AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield, the final major of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, will determine the winner of this year’s Rolex ANNIKA Major Award winner. Players who finish in the top 10 in any of the five major championships - the Chevron Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the Amundi Evian Championship, and the AIG Women’s Open - earn points toward qualifying for the award. However, in order to win the award at season’s end, a player must also have won at least one of the season’s five major titles.
The winner of the Rolex Annika Major Award will be recognized at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship during the Rolex LPGA Awards banquet.
)
)
)
)
