Down by two photographs with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew precisely what was wanted to seize the largest prize in girls’s golf historical past. And one other eagle-birdie end – for the second straight day – made it occur.
Thitikul claimed the record-setting $4m purse by successful the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It’s the largest cash prize in girls’s golf historical past, larger than even the winner’s shares in three of the 4 males’s main championships this 12 months.
“As we speak, standing right here with the trophy, it’s greater than I can ask for,” Thitikul mentioned.
Thitikul, who’s but to win a serious, shot a seven-under 65 on Sunday and completed the week at 22 beneath, one shot forward of USA’s Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead strolling to the seventeenth tee, solely to wind up settling for the $1m runner-up verify.
Yin, who missed the beginning of the season after breaking her leg, hardly sounded defeated after ending second and greater than doubling her 2024 earnings in 4 days.
“I’m fairly superior … I’ve realized that I simply have to consider my myself and that’s what I did,” Yin mentioned.
The win and the large verify got here all the way down to the 18th gap, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21 beneath after a back-and-forth day atop the leaderboard – each realizing a mistake would probably come at a $3m value.
Each hit the green on 18. Thitikul’s method was almost excellent, stopping about 5ft from the cup. She was smiling broadly as she approached the inexperienced, virtually as if she knew what was about to occur. Yin’s birdie putt from round 15ft simply missed. Thitikul’s was useless middle. And historical past was hers.
Her plans for her money? “Undoubtedly spend it,” Thitikul mentioned. “That’s an trustworthy reply, for certain. Undoubtedly going to spend it for a short while.”
She already had clinched a $1m bonus this week by way of the Aon Threat-Reward Problem, a contest primarily based on how gamers rating on a delegated gap every week. In the long run, it wound up as a whopping $5m week for the 21-year-old from Thailand.
“All of the arduous work paid off,” mentioned Thitikul.
New Zealand’s Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko (63) completed third at 17 beneath, her 9 birdies coming in a 13-hole span. “I’m excited to have the ability to work arduous this offseason and have one other nice 2025,” Ko mentioned.
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