Somi Lee Dominates with New Strategy at the CME Group Tour Championship
Naples, Florida – Somi Lee showed that a change in her game can be key to success. The South Korean golfer leads the CME Group Tour Championship after an impressive first round, where she signed a card of 8 under par (64 strokes). Lee, who decided to modify her grip on the putt, achieved a two-stroke lead in the quest for the $4 million grand prize. The player knew how to take advantage of the warm conditions, selecting a 5-iron to approach the 17th hole, where she achieved an eagle. Her only stumble was a bogey on the final hole. In the ranking, Lee leads by two strokes over Allisen Corpuz, former U.S. Women’s Open champion. The world’s number one and favorite for LPGA Player of the Year, Jeeno Thitikul, had a round of 67 strokes, with six birdies, placing her in third place along with three other players. Thitikul, who won the Tour Championship last year, will secure the Player of the Year award based on points, unless Miyu Yamashita, from Japan, wins the tournament. Yamashita, with two victories this year, including the Women’s Open, was slowed down by two bogeys and started with 70 strokes. Nelly Korda, looking to close out the year with a victory after seven titles the previous year, missed a putt of 3 feet for birdie on the 17th hole, with a round of 71 strokes. Lee, one of the 29 players who won this year on the LPGA, teamed up with Jin Hee Im at the Dow Championship. She ranked 14th in the Race to CME Globe, but felt her game was affected by her putting. It was then that she took notice of Lydia Ko, the most recent inductee into the LPGA Hall of Fame.After testing it last week and making some adjustments, Lee showed his best game at the Tour Championship, using 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 an $11 million purse.“I just followed Lydia Ko’s putt grip because she’s a good player and I thought, ‘Why not follow a good player’s grip?’ It worked really well,” Lee said.
Somi Lee
Thitikul is tied for third place with Im, Nasa Hataoka and Sei-young Kim. Grace Kim (Evian Championship) and Minjee Lee (Women’s PGA), both major champions, are 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 in this kind of year to be able to play here,” Thitikul said. “I’ve had a very good run during the year, there’s not much to think about.”
Jeeno Thitikul
