Lydia Ko has taken the 2015 season by storm with a win, two seconds and a season-long streak of under-par rounds. As a result, she has risen to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings and accumulated a season-high $449,155.
But, perhaps more importantly, she continues to lead the Race to the CME Globe competition. Last year, she rallied in the final event to win the CME Group Tour Championship and the corresponding CME Globe title, rising from third in the standings after the points reset for the finale.
The reward was $500,000 for winning the tournament and $1 million for capturing the inaugural season-long competition. That one-day payload of $1.5 million was three times the return on her 2015 work over five weeks’ time. In one week, she earned more than all but the top four money winners on the 2014 LPGA.
As the season plays out, Ko will need to remain consistent as contenders such as Inbee Park surge. Park was 13th in the standings entering last week’s HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore. But a victory, while paired in the final round with Ko and top-ranked American Stacy Lewis, propelled Park all the way to third in the standings.
The Race to the CME Globe, in its second season, 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.
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