Two weeks remain in the 2016 LPGA season and many more awards and statistical categories are still in flux.
This week’s small field at the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Aeromexico and Delta in Mexico includes just two players in the top 10 in the Race to the CME Globe standings (No. 3 Brooke Henderson and No. 10 Anna Nordqvist), so the changes prior to the CME Globe Tour Championship would probably be minimal. But yet it’s interesting to look at how tight many of the major categories are:
Playing in the CME Globe
Next week’s CME Globe Tour Championship field will include the top 72 and ties in the Race to the CME Globe points standings following this week’s event. Also, LPGA winners who don’t place in the top 72 and non-members who win a LPGA event qualify for the event. Interestingly, Olympic gold medalist Inbee Park, beset by injuries this season, is ranked 71st and barely in the field. She could be surpassed this week by Mariajo Uribe (No. 73), Katie Burnett (No. 75) and Jing Yan (No. 81), who are in the Ochoa field. The top 20 players and ties in the Ochoa earn points – from 51 for 20th-place solo finish to 500 for a win. Michelle Wie, 115th this week, needs a win to get into the Naples, Fla., finale.Winning the Race to the CME Globe
The top nine players in the Race to the CME Globe have a mathematical chance to win the season-long race in the final event. Japan’s Haru Nomura holds that ninth spot with one week to go. However, No. 10 Anna Nordqvist can move up with a finish better than 20th and she would tie Nomura with a 20th-place finish. Even with a win this week, Henderson cannot move up, so she will enter the final event third in the standings.Ko vs. Jutanugarn
Neither player is in the field this week, setting up a showdown in Naples next week. Jutanugarn leads the Rolex Player of the Year race, the Race to the CME Globe and earnings categories while Ko is first in scoring.Here’s where they stand in the big four categories:
| AWARD | KO | JUTANUGARN |
|---|---|---|
| Rolex Player of the Year | 247 (2nd) | 261 (1st) |
| Vare Trophy (scoring avg.) |
69.611 (1st) |
69.923 (5th) |
| Race To the CME Globe | 4,365 (2nd) | 4,491 (1st) |
| Money Title | $2,457,913 (2nd) | $ 2,475,218 (1st) |
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