Lydia Ko: "I am the Final Match Champion"... 'Sweeping All Individual Titles'

Lydia Ko Wins 3rd Season Title and 19th Career Victory at CME Group Tour Championship
$2 Million Jackpot Prize... Leads in Earnings, Player of the Year, and Scoring Average
Maguire 2nd, Lee Jeong-eun6 Tied 4th, Kim Hyo-joo Tied 7th, Ko Jin-young Tied 33rd

Lydia Ko cheers after making a birdie on the 16th hole on the final day of the CME Group Tour Championship. Naples, USA - Photo by AFP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] A spectacular finale for Lydia Ko (New Zealand), ranked 3rd in the world.

On the 20th (local time), Lydia Ko added 2 under par on the final day at the CME Group Tour Championship (total prize money $7 million), the final event of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, held at the Tiburon Golf Club Black Course (par 72, 6,556 yards) in Naples, Florida, USA, securing a 2-stroke victory (17 under par 271). She maintained the lead wire-to-wire over four days, achieving her third win of the season and 19th career victory.

Lydia Ko received $2 million in prize money, becoming the money leader with $4,364,403. In addition, she swept the Player of the Year and lowest scoring average titles, marking her best year yet. Lydia Ko previously won Player of the Year in 2015 and lowest scoring average in 2021. She also rose to 5th place in all-time career earnings with $16,695,357.

Starting tied for the lead by 5 strokes, Lydia Ko recorded 4 birdies and 2 bogeys. Although she started shakily with a bogey on the 1st hole (par 5), she regained stability with birdies on the 3rd and 8th holes. After a bogey on the 14th hole (par 5), she secured a 2-stroke lead with consecutive birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. Lydia Ko, the future daughter-in-law of the Hyundai family, is set to marry Jung Joon, the only son of Jung Tae-young, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Card, at Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul on December 30.

Leona Maguire (Ireland), who was co-leader the previous day, failed to lower her score and settled for runner-up (15 under par 273). Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) surged with 5 under par to jump to 3rd place (14 under par 274). World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA) and 2022 Rookie of the Year Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) tied for 10th place (8 under par 280). Minjee Lee (Australia), who had been leading the money list, struggled with 5 over par and dropped to a tie for 33rd place (1 under par 287).

For Korea, Lee Jeong-eun6 (26) posted 2 under par to finish tied for 4th place (12 under par 276), the best result among Korean players. Kim Hyo-joo (27) tied for 7th place (9 under par 279). Ko Jin-young (27) and Jeon In-ji (28) tied for 33rd place. Korea managed only 4 wins this year. They failed to win this tournament as well, extending their winless streak to 16 consecutive events. The LPGA Tour will begin the 2023 season on January 19 in Orlando, Florida, USA, with the Hilton Grand Vacations Champions Tournament.