Down by two with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew precisely what was wanted to seize the largest prize in ladies’s golf historical past.
And one other eagle-birdie end — for the second straight day — made it occur.
Thitikul gained the record-setting $4 million first-place test by capturing the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It is the largest cash prize in ladies’s golf historical past, greater than even the winner’s shares in three of the 4 males’s main championships this yr.
Thitikul shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday and completed the week at 22 underneath, one shot forward of Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead strolling to the seventeenth tee, solely to wind up settling for the $1 million runner-up test.
The win and the large test got here all the way down to the 18th gap, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21 underneath after a back-and-forth day atop the leaderboard — each realizing a mistake would possible include a $3 million value.
Thitkul had a two-shot lead after three holes; Yin had a two-shot lead with two holes left. Neither was secure; Yin birdied and Thitikul bogeyed the par-4 fourth for a tie at 16 underneath, and Thitikul eagled the par-5 seventeenth to drag right into a tie with Yin at 21 underneath.
They each hit the golf green on 18. Thitikul’s strategy was almost excellent, stopping about 5 toes from the cup. Yin’s response stopped possibly 15 toes away, giving Thitkul the sting as they walked up the golf green.
Yin’s birdie putt simply missed. Thitikul’s was lifeless middle. And historical past was hers.
She already had clinched a $1 million bonus this week by the Aon Danger-Reward Problem, a contest primarily based on how gamers rating on a delegated gap every week. Ultimately, it wound up as a whopping $5 million week for the 21-year-old from Thailand — and going 8 underneath over the 4 days on the seventeenth and 18th at Tiburon Golf Membership made it occur.
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