KORDA DELIVERS RUNNER-UP PERFORMANCE

Entering the final day of the LPGA Tour season in the final pairing at the CME Group Tour Championship, Nelly Korda remained in the hunt until a tough break on the par-4 13th.

After a birdie on No. 12 brought her within two shots of leader Lexi Thompson at -15, a two-shot swing on No. 13, where Thompson found birdie and Korda made bogey, ultimately proved to be the deciding factor.

“I played pretty solid, just made a couple mistakes,” said Korda. “Lexi played really well, really solid today. I think she hit probably almost every green. She made I think just two mistakes but bounced back really fast. I was just thinking take it shot by shot. I made a really bad mistake after that birdie and she just kind of ran with it after that.”

Nonetheless, Korda wraps up a season where she stepped into the winner’s circle for the first time in her young LPGA career and captured a total of nine top-15 finishes.

QUIET YET STEADY WEEK FOR RYU

Perhaps the most under-the-radar name near the top of the leaderboard was the Republic of Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, who quietly notched four rounds in the 60s and finished tied for third. With a victory at the 2018 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and a UL International Crown title under her belt in 2018, Ryu looks back at her year as one of great triumph and much learning.

“I had a good time and bad time this year, but I guess most of the time was good time,” said Ryu, the only player this week with four rounds in the 60s. “The biggest thing I learned this year was I really have to be myself. I cannot really take everybody's opinion. I think that's one of the biggest lessons I had. Well, I've won once, but I'm looking forward to have more multiple winning for 2019.”

PLAYER NOTES

Rolex Rankings No. 8 Lexi Thompson (65-67-68-70, -18)

Thompson is playing in her fifth CME Group Tour Championship; her best finish is T2 in 2017
She also played in the 2013 CME Group Titleholders held at Tiburon Golf Club
She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens, with 27 putts
This was Thompson’s 20th event of the 2018 season; she has six other top-10 finishes, with a best previous finish of T2 at the Honda LPGA Thailand
Today’s win extends her yearly winning streak to six years (2013-2018), the longest active streak on the LPGA Tour
Thompson is the 26th different winner of the 2018 LPGA season and the ninth American to reach the winner’s circle

Rolex Rankings No. 33 Nelly Korda (69-67-67-71, -14)

Korda is playing in her second CME Group Tour Championship, finishing T8 in 2017
She hit 13 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens, with 28 putts
This was Korda’s 22nd event of the 2018 season; she became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship presented by CTBC and has five other top-10 finishes

STATISTICAL RECORDS FOR ARIYA JUTANUGARN

ROUNDS IN THE 60S: Jutanugarn’s 57 rounds in the 60s this year are the most in a season in LPGA history.

57 - Ariya Jutanugarn - 2018
55 - Ariya Jutanugarn - 2016
51 - Lorena Ochoa - 2004
50 - Moriya Jutanugarn - 2017
50 - Stacy Lewis - 2014

SUB-PAR ROUNDS: Jutanugarn’s 80 sub-par rounds this year is tied for the third-most sub-par rounds in a season in LPGA history. Jutanugarn broke her previous record for most sub-par rounds in a season (74 in 2016).

85 - Stacy Lewis - 2014
83 - Brooke Henderson - 2016
80 - Brooke Henderson - 2017
80 - Ariya Jutanugarn - 2018
77 - Moriya Jutanugarn - 2017

BIRDIES: Jutanugarn entered the week having made 448 birdies. Jutanugarn’s 22 birdies made at the CME Group Tour Championship gives her a total of 470 birdies made in 2018, surpassing the LPGA record of 469 birdies in a season (set by herself in 2016).

470 - Ariya Jutanugarn - 2018
469 - Ariya Jutanugarn - 2016
460 - Stacy Lewis - 2014
455 - Brooke Henderson - 2016
442 - Lorena Ochoa - 2004

TOP 10S: With a top-10 finish at the CME Group Tour Championship, Jutanugarn breaks her career top-10 record of 16 in a season in 2016. In 2018, Jutanugarn recorded 17 top-10 finishes, averaging a top-10 finish every 1.65 events played.

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS

18 holes: 62, Lydia Ko, 2016

36 holes: 132, Sung Hyun Park, 2017; Lydia Ko, 2016; Lexi Thompson, 2018

54 holes: 200, Lexi Thompson, 2018

72 holes: 269, Charley Hull, 2016

CME Group Tour Championship Final Round Notes and Interviews

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