Thompson Smiles Through Disappointment and More from CME

MORE DISAPPOINTMENT FOR THOMPSON, BUT STILL A SMILE ON HER FACE

It was a sight that we saw too many times in 2017 – a wistful smile from Lexi Thompson. After her heartbreaking loss at the ANA Inspiration. After six runner-up finishes. After her mother’s cancer diagnosis. After the loss of her grandmother. And finally, after missing a 2-foot putt that could have won multiple season-ending titles and the CME Group Tour Championship.

“Just going through what I have this whole year and seeing how strong I am and how I got through it all and still won two tournaments, got five, six seconds, I don’t even know, I think it just shows I just moved on,” said Thompson. “I continue to work hard in my off weeks. It didn’t stop me, and this won’t either.”

Throughout the season, Thompson showed a tremendous ability to bounce back through adversity. And while the CME Group Tour Championship did not end the way she had hoped, Thompson still walked away with the 2017 Vare Trophy for the season’s low scoring average, not to mention $1 million for winning the Race to the CME Globe.

“I worked extremely hard in the off-season on my short game. I knew that’s what held me back last year,” said Thompson, who will be back at Tiburon Golf Club in two weeks for the QBE Shootout, where she will be paired with fellow bomber Tony Finau. “So working on that in the off-season and then coming out strong with the Bahamas and a few other tournaments in the beginning of the year, I think it showed that the hard work paid off. I’m just going to continue to work even harder this off-season.” 

NEW ARIYA, SAME RESULT 

The 2017 LPGA season ended in a strikingly similar fashion to the 2016 LPGA season, with Ariya Jutanugarn hoisting a trophy on the 18th green at Tiburón Golf Club. This time, it was the CME Group Tour Championship trophy in Jutanugarn’s hands after what had been a rollercoaster of a year for the 2016 Role Player of the Year.

In June, Jutanugarn captured the Manulife LPGA Classic title and the Rolex Rankings No. 1 moniker along with it. The high of success didn’t last long however, as she missed the next five of eight cuts. Jutanugarn then took a step back and set a goal to have fun on the golf course, a decision that ultimately paid off with the final LPGA title of the season.

“I just set my new goal last few month after I start to play really bad,” said Jutanugarn after birdieing the final two holes to win by one stroke over Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda. “I just told my caddie, You know what? I think like think about the ranking. No. 1 is not going to help me at all. It’s not going to help me to be a better golfer. So I talk to him. Okay, so what I want to be? I want everybody to see me and see, Oh, this girl, she really feeling on the course. She can be really happy on the course and she can do anything she wants to do. That’s my new goal. I’m like, okay I’m just going to go out and have fun and stay with myself and enjoy myself.” 

CME GROUP CARES WEEKENDS EAGLES FINAL UPDATE FOLLOWING THE CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

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 2017 LPGA Tour season, CME Group donated $1,000 to the program’s total donation count. However, at this week’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, the stakes are even higher, as the donation has been raised to a generous $5,000 per eagle. The money raised will go towards a charitable pool and be split evenly between Wounded Warrior Project® and Bright Pink®.

The weekend at the CME Group Tour Championship saw three eagles, all coming on Saturday. That puts the season’s final tally at 287, for a total donation of $299,000. Rookies Nelly Korda and Angel Yin both had eight weekend eagles to lead the pack, followed by Sei Young Kim, Stacy Lewis and Amy Yang with six apiece.

ROLEX PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINAL RESULTS 

For the first time in the 51-year history of the Rolex Player of the Year race, there was a tie at the top. Major champions So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park share the 2017 Player of the Year title and each earn one point toward entrance into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Park also joins the great Nancy Lopez as the only players to win Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season, with Lopez achieving the feat in 1978. 

RACE TO THE CME GLOBE FINAL RESULTS 

The top 12 players in the Race to the CME Globe standings heading into this week’s CME Group Tour Championship were eligible to win the $1 million bonus. Lexi Thompson, who entered the week on top of the standings, emerged as Race to the CME Globe Champion, ahead of Sung Hyun Park.

 VARE TROPHY FINAL RESULTS

Lexi Thompson captured the 2017 Vare Trophy by 0.113 point over Sung Hyun Park, earning her a point toward entrance into the LPGA Hall of Fame. 

MOST MILLION-DOLLAR WINNERS IN A SINGLE SEASON

This season, the LPGA set a record for players earning at least $1 million with 17. The previous mark was 15, set in 2016. 

MOST PLAYERS WITH SUB-70 SCORING AVERAGES IN A SINGLE YEAR 

With the conclusion of the 2017 LPGA season, a record 12 players had scoring averages under 70. That breaks the previous mark of five players, set in 2016.