Somi Lee Shocks at the CME Group Tour Championship with a New Grip
South Korean golfer Somi Lee has started the CME Group Tour Championship with an impressive round of 8 under par, achieving a two-stroke lead in the quest for a $4 million prize. Lee, who decided to change her grip on the putting, showed that the modification was effective from the first moment. The South Korean player stood out by using a 5-iron due to the warm conditions and achieved an eagle on the par-5 17th hole. Her only stumble was a bogey on the final hole of the Tiburon Golf Club. Despite this small error, Lee remained two strokes ahead of the former US Women’s Open champion, Allisen Corpuz. World No. 1 and favorite for LPGA Player of the Year, Jeeno Thitikul, signed a card of 67, with six birdies, tying with three other players. Thitikul, winner of the Tour Championship last year, will secure the Player of the Year award based on points, unless Miyu Yamashita of Japan wins this tournament. Yamashita, with two victories this year, including the Women’s Open, had a slower start with two bogeys, finishing the round with 70 strokes. Nelly Korda, seeking to avoid a winless year after securing seven titles the previous year, missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, finishing with a round of 71. Lee, one of the 29 players who won this year on the LPGA, along with Jin Hee Im at the Dow Championship, ranked 14th in the Race to CME Globe. She acknowledged that her performance was affected by her putting, so she decided to try a new grip inspired by Lydia Ko.Lee tested this new grip last week, made some adjustments and implemented it at the Tour Championship, achieving only 27 putts in the round. The top 60 players reached the season finale, and the Race to CME Globe rankings are no longer relevant. The tournament winner will take home $4 million, the highest prize in women’s golf, from a total of $11 million. Thitikul, tied for third place with Im, Nasa Hataoka and Sei-young Kim, commented on the importance of the tournament.“I just followed Lydia Ko’s grip because she’s a good player and I thought, ‘Why not follow a good player’s grip?’ It worked out really well,” Lee said.
Somi Lee
A couple of major champions, Grace Kim (Evian Championship) and Minjee Lee (Women’s PGA), were placed in the group with 68 strokes.“I know we’re playing for a $4 million check, but for me I think it’s almost a bonus to be able to play here this year. I’ve performed very well during the year, I don’t have much to think about,” Thitikul said.
Jeeno Thitikul
