Southwest Florida welcomes back the top female golfers for the CME Group Tour Championship
NAPLES, Fla. (August 4, 2016) – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) returns to Florida’s Paradise Coast in November for its season-ending championship and culmination of the “Race to the CME Globe.” The CME Group Tour Championship will take place November 14 – 20, 2016 at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples.
Cristie Kerr captured the CME Group Tour Championship title in 2015 for her second win of the season and 18th career victory. Kerr won by one stroke over Ha Na Jang at 17-under par, while world No.1 Lydia Ko won the season-long “Race to the CME Globe.” This marked Ko’s second consecutive year taking home the one million-dollar payout.
“I am extremely excited to be back in Naples for the CME Group Tour Championship,” said defending Tour Champion Cristie Kerr. “This event is unlike any other on Tour because not only do we compete for the Tour Championship but the Race to the CME Globe title; it’s become an event that I look forward to all year.”
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” and take home $1 Million. The competition began with the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in Paradise Island, Bahamas and continues through the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex in Mexico. The points chase will then conclude at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.
The top 72 players on the “Race to the CME Globe” points list gain entry into the CME Group Tour Championship, as well as any tournament winners from throughout the 2016 season. Lexi Thompson, Minjee Lee, Anna Nordqvist, Ha Na Jang, Ariya Jutanugarn and 2015 Race to the CME Globe Champion, Lydia Ko, are amongst those already qualified. For a complete list of 2016 LPGA tournament winners, please visit lpga.com/tournaments.
“We’re excited to be returning to Naples for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship,” Commissioner Mike Whan states. “Between the tournament, our annual Rolex Awards and the crowing of our 2016 Race to the CME Globe Champion it promises to be another memorable week at Tiburón Golf Club.”
For more information on the CME Group Tour Championship, visit: CMEGroupTourChampionship.com.