Everyone knows that the LPGA’s five major championships have a higher level of prestige. Winners are remembered for capturing titles on the most difficult course against the deepest field and under the magnifying glass of historic performances.
But the major championships also hold a larger bearing on who gets a quick first step in the Race to the CME Globe competition. Normally, the winner of an official LPGA event receives 500 points. But this week at the ANA Inspiration, the points value goes up by 25 percent, giving the field more points and awarding the winner 625 points.
Keep an eye on the 2015 LPGA calendar for the next four majors: June 11-14, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Westchester (N.Y.) CC; July 9-12, U.S. Women’s Open, Lancaster, Pa., CC; July 30-Aug. 2, Ricoh Women’s British Open, Turnberry, Scotland; Sept. 10-13, The Evian Championship, Evian les Bains, France. They also will provide a 25 percent boost.
Seven tournaments have been completed in the second season of the Race to the CME Globe. The top three seeds entering November’s CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., can win it all. The top nine have a chance to capture the season-long title with a victory and help from those ahead of them.
The Race to the CME Globe is a season-long points competition in which LPGA Members accumulate points in every Official LPGA Tournament. At the end of the season, the winning player will be named the “Race to the CME Globe Champion.” The competition began at the Coates Golf Championship, continues through the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex in Mexico and concludes with a points reset for the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida the week before Thanksgiving.