Leads After First Round of CME Group Tour Championship Finale
Could Claim No. 1 on Money List with $4 Million Victory
Corpuz in Second, Seyoung Kim and Jinhee Lim Tied for Third
Somi Lee has taken the top spot on the leaderboard.
On November 20 (local time), at the Tiburon Golf Club (par 72, 6,734 yards) at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Florida, USA, Somi Lee carded one eagle, seven birdies, and one bogey in the first round of the CME Group Tour Championship, the final event of the 2025 LPGA Tour season with a total prize purse of 11 million dollars. Shooting an 8-under-par 64, Somi Lee pulled ahead of Allison Corpuz (USA, 6-under-par 66) by two strokes to take the lead.
Somi Lee raises her hand to the applause of the gallery after sinking an eagle putt on the 17th hole of the first round of the CME Group Tour Championship. Naples, USA ? AFP Yonhap News Agency
Somi Lee made her LPGA Tour debut last year and achieved her first career victory at the Dow Championship, a two-player team event, partnering with Jinhee Lim this past June. If she wins this tournament and claims the 4 million dollar (approximately 5.9 billion won) winner’s prize, she could become the season’s money leader. She is currently ranked 14th on the money list with 1,651,360 dollars.
Somi Lee made back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4, and again on holes 8 and 9. On the back nine, she picked up birdies on holes 11, 14, and 15, and then thrilled the crowd with a two-on, one-putt eagle on the par-5 17th hole. However, she finished with a bogey on the final par-4 18th, which was her only disappointment. She stood out with an average driving distance of 277 yards and a 100% fairway hit rate. She recorded 27 putts for the round.
Seyoung Kim and Jinhee Lim finished tied for third at 5-under-par 67. World No. 1 and defending champion Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) and Nasa Hataoka (Japan) also joined this group. Arim Kim, Haeran Yu, and Jin Young Ko ended the first day tied for 16th at 3-under-par 69, while Hyejin Choi and Mi Hyang Lee were tied for 44th at even-par 72. Hyojoo Kim finished in a tie for 57th at 2-over-par 74.
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