Ariya Jutanugarn Shows Why She Won Five Times This Year
All week long, the chatter has been on Jutanugarn vs. Ko, Ko vs. Jutanugarn, as the LPGA Tour season wraps up and the best-of-the-best battle it out for the Race to CME Globe. Jutanugarn held the lead ahead of Ko for the season-long race coming into this week, but after Friday’s 10-under-par 62, Ko seemed to be in the drivers’ seat.
Not so fast.
Jutanugarn, who counts the RICOH Women’s British Open as one of her five victories on the year, fired a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 Saturday to move into a tie for fourth, just two shots back of the leader, Charley Hull.
“I think today I just try to focus shot by shot, not think about outcome and not think about like too much future,” she said. “ I'm ready to have fun and be happy on the course. I don't know I can win or not, but I'm going to do my best.”
Jutanugarn had her coach on-site earlier today to give her some encouraging words prior to teeing off Saturday. Normally, her coach tries to keep her confident and stay positive. Today was no different.
Come Sunday, Jutanugarn will see if her five victories will translate into capturing the Race to CME Globe title. But for now, she’s quite pleased with how things have gone in 2016.
“This year is great for me,” she said. “I know tomorrow is going to be a lot of pressure, but I'm just going to do my best and whatever happens, I still love my year this year.”
Lydia Ko With an Uncharacteristic Saturday, Now Two Shots Back of the Lead
After Friday’s course-record 62, most thought Lydia Ko would be running away with the CME Group Tour Championship, but golf, as it has long known to be, is unpredictable.
Saturday, Ko, the world No.1-ranked golfer, shot a 1-over-par 73 and dropped into a tie for fourth with four others. She is only two shots back of the lead held by Charley Hull, but after Friday’s record-breaking performance many did not envision Ko being behind going into Sunday.
“The funny thing with this game, I always say you think you're doing the same thing but yesterday and today it's different,” she said. “So I just got to, I think, stay patient. I don't think like I did something horribly or drastically different. Probably (just) those little things.”
One of the women Ko is tied with is the one she’s been battling with all year for the Race to CME Globe and the top of the Rolex Rankings, Ariya Jutanugarn.
Jutanugarn fired a 7-under-par 65 Saturday and climbed into a tie with Ko. But Ko wasn’t surprised to see such great play from Jutanugarn.
“She's been playing great coming into this event, so I think we all got to expect that she's going to go low, you know, sooner than later,” said Ko. “I'm not surprised that she's up the leaderboard again. That's the sort of the confidence she has. She's long, and if she hits the fairways… so I think she really took advantage of her strength and obviously putted great. So it's no surprise seeing her name up there.”
And despite everything that’s on the line tomorrow, Ko said she is just going to try to treat it like any other Sunday.
“It's easier said than done, but then to me, that's why the big goal for me this week was to have a strong finish to my season. I got to have my lowest scoring round in my season yesterday, too. I'm happy with that. I am happy to see some form coming back. I think that's why I just got to stay positive and just patient and just focused on me,” she explained. “The girls are playing great. I'm trying to the same. It's not only me in the field. There are 71 other players. It's just I think more on me, focusing on me, and I think that's going to be important for me tomorrow.”
Brittany Lincicome Looking for First Victory of the Year
Although Brittany Lincicome hasn’t found the winner’s circle since early 2015, you wouldn’t know that based on her strong performance Saturday, where she climbed the leaderboard into a tie for second at Tiburón Golf Club thanks to a 6-under-par 66.
Lincicome, whose last win came at the 2015 ANA Inspiration, made two bogeys Saturday but that was off-set by eight birdies.
“Any time you can make birdies out here it's great,” she said.
Lincicome admitted Saturday that she was ‘bummed’ there was no more tournaments left on the LPGA Tour schedule after this week, as things were finally starting to click for her, even though she’s battling a head cold.
“It has been a little while,” she said of how her times in contention have been infrequent of late. “It's nice to be back kind of near the top of the leaderboard and playing well.”
Lincicome, who, by her own admission called her 2016 season ‘yucky’ said even if she finished in the top-10 this week would be a ‘fantastic’ way to finish her year.
“Any time I can stay near the top of the leaderboard is going to be a great finish to the year,” she explained. “One more day. I just need to kind of get it done and then enjoy the off-season.”
Jennifer Song Credits a Change in Putter to her Success this Week
Jennifer Song hasn’t yet found the winner’s circle on the LPGA Tour, but entering Sunday’s final round at the CME Group Tour Championship, she sits just two shots back thanks to a bogey-free Saturday that saw her notch an eagle on the par-5 17th.
“I just wanted to come out here and just play my best game. I think I just played really confidently,” she said.
Heading into this week, Song said she changed her putter, and admitted she felt ‘refreshed.’
“First day my shots were just kind of all over the place,” she said. “Once I got the rhythm down I think I started to hit some good shots.”
Despite early Bogey, So Yeon Ryu Still in Contention
Even with a bogey on her second hole of the day, So Yeon Ryu battled back for a 3-under par 69 at the CME Group Tour Championship and enters Sunday just one shot back of the lead, and in prime position for her first LPGA Tour victory since 2014.
Ryu said Saturday she was ‘pretty happy’ to be in contention in the final tournament of the year.
“This tournament has been having really great winners, so if I can be the last champion of the year that's going to be awesome,” she said. “ I think I'm really happy with my tournament. Last tournament of the year I really want to finish strong. If I able to finish strong, no matter what I'm going to win or not, I think I'm still going to be really happy to close my season.”
Ryu explained the key to her success this week has been her putting stroke.
“(The) most important fact is I'm happy with my stroke,” she explained. “Just going to make sure I'm going to have better speed control tomorrow.”
CME Group Cares Weekend
Saturday was Wear Pink Day as CME Group and the LPGA have expanded the Race to the CME Globe weekend charitable program in 2016 to include Bright Pink®, a national non-profit organization focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women. Bright Pink® joins Wounded Warrior Project® in the expanded partnership, CME Group Cares Weekend.
CME Group Cares Weekend is a season-long charitable giving program that turns eagles into donations. For each eagle recorded during weekend play (Saturday and Sunday) throughout the 2016 LPGA Tour season, CME Group donates $1,000 to the program’s total donation count. During the CME Group Tour Championship the amount contributed per eagle increases to $5,000 throughout the weekend. The money raised will go towards a charitable pool and be split evenly between Wounded Warrior Project® and Bright Pink®.
Jennifer Song’s eagle on the par-5 17th hole was the 284th eagle by LPGA Tour professionals throughout weekend play this season bringing the CME Group Cares Weekend donation pot to $288,000 before Sunday’s final round.
PNC Family Picnic
LPGA*USGA Girls Golf hosted the PNC Family Clinic on Saturday afternoon at Tiberón Golf Club. 140 girls and boys participated in the event that brought kids inside the ropes for hands-on instruction from LPGA Tour Professionals Kim Kaufman and Danielle Kang and gave them the opportunity to meet LPGA player Sandra Gal.
LPGA Girls Golf site director, Stephanie Peareth, brought a bus with 22 girls from Miami to attend the clinic.
“They loved meeting the pros – they are so friendly,” Peareth said. “Coming out here today has been huge for them. We’ve grown into a big family like sisters. They’re super excited to be here today doing this together.”
Lincicome's Birdies A Double Play
Lincicome’s hot day with eight birdies in the third round brought her to a tie for second place and 18 birdies on the tournament. It was a good day for Lincicome, but also beneficial timing for LPGA*USGA Girls Golf. She and Sandra Gal are teamed up for the LPGA Birdie Challenge this week.
Thursday-Sunday, fans can select their favorite player - #TeamSandra or #TeamBrittany - and make a donation for every birdie their favorite player records during the weekend. Lincicome leads Gal 18-7 in the birdie race and Girls Golf can only hope the birdies keep coming on Sunday.
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