THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Inbee Park looking for memorable 2020 souvenir

Inbee Park looking for memorable 2020 souvenir

Rolex Rankings No. 3 Inbee Park can’t remember the last time she had to finish a tournament on Monday.

With last week’s U.S. Women’s Open spilling over into this week, Park arrived at the CME Group Tour Championship a little later than usual, pulling into Naples late Monday night. But in her sixth trip to Tiburon Golf Club, Park already knows the challenge that awaits her here – these greens.

“I never really feel like I've conquered this green at all over all those years. The tee-to-green is not a big issue. I think it just really comes down to the putting, and the bermuda greens can get really tricky on you reading as feet,” said Park on Wednesday. “I'm just trying to adjust the speed on the greens and read the putts right. You can't read them right all the time, but I'm just trying to do a little better at a time, and hopefully I can putt a little better this week.”

Park sits atop the standings for Rolex Player of the Year honors, leading Sei Young Kim by six points and Danielle Kang by 25 points. The trio will tee it up together in Thursday’s first round, starting on No. 1 at 10:50 a.m. If Park can capture the award, she would become the 14th player to win the title multiple times after she previously earning the honor in 2013. Park said adding this award to her 2020 resume would be a great “souvenir” of such a strange yet fulfilling season.

“This year has been a gift. I'm just happy that we got to play,” said Park, who won her 20th LPGA Tour title in February at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and has seven other top-10 finishes this year. “Just that's really all I can ask for. If the results follow, that's great. If not, I'm just really happy we're out here and playing and playing some really good golf.”

DANIELLE KANG MOVED TO DONATE AFTER IMPRESSIVE SEASON

Danielle Kang is playing in her eighth CME Group Tour Championship this week, in a season unlike any other. In 2020, Kang is one of only two players with multiple victories this season after winning the LPGA Drive On Championship – Inverness Club and Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana in the Tour’s restart in July. Throw in an additional three top-10 finishes, and Kang is third in the standings for the Rolex Player of the Year award. And, after making every cut in 12 events played, Kang is on the verge of closing out the year with the Vare Trophy.

“I definitely had, whether it was world No 1, Player of the Year, Vare Trophy, everything was a possibility at one point or another. I was world No. 2 at one point. You have goals and dreams in your mind and you set them when you play, and even before I started and while I'm on tour,” said Kang, who meets the 70% of the Official Tournament rounds requirement with her 69.978 scoring average. “That's part of it, though, and I think whether I do it or not, I'm okay with having the opportunity to have almost done it. Because I don't think it's just going to be once or twice that you have to have the opportunity. That's what actually Inbee said to me, too. We had a good chat a month ago.”

Kang said she likes Tiburon Golf Club and has been looking forward to this event. “I keep telling people if I just don't "beep" around I should be contending pretty well. I don't know why. I just get really greedy out here. When you get greedy, there is this nice little lost ball waiting for you. I don't know. I just get really excited to play this event, and I even said to people that I took seven weeks off before U.S. Women’s Open,” said Kang, who finished in a tie for third in Naples in 2019. “U.S. Women’s Open is great, but I wanted it to be kind of a steppingstone for though week. I know the golf course pretty well. I know how the greens break. There are some par-3s that I have made doubles out here with 8-irons because I got so cocky on the tee box and thinking I could hit it to five feet.”

While gearing up for CME week, Kang was able to talk with Mary Browder, a 17-year-old cancer survivor who, with the help of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, beat Hodgkins Lymphoma. Moved by her story, Kang pledged to donate $1000 per birdie this week in Browder’s honor. Her goal? 20 birdies, to equal the $20,000 donation made by CME Group for every ace this season thanks to the CME Group Cares Challenge - Score 1 for St. Jude.

“20 so I can get to $20,000 then,” said Kang. “That would be cool. I got you, Mary.”

CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP FEELS LIKE HOME FOR BROOKE HENDERSON
Canadian star Brooke Henderson has won at least one tournament every season since 2015, when she captured the Cambia Portland Classic title as a non-member. In order to keep that streak alive, the nine-time LPGA Tour champion must find the winner’s circle this week at the CME Group Tour Championship.

“In the springtime I wasn't sure what my schedule was going to look like, how much I was going to play, so I'm really grateful for the LPGA and protocols they put in place to make this a safe place to play,” said Henderson, who is currently No. 2 on Tour this year in scoring average (69.727). “I've been comfortable out here playing 10 events, and five top-10s. It has been a really successful year and would be really nice to finish this week off with another top-10, or maybe better. Hopefully put in two solid rounds Thursday, Friday and see where that puts me going into the weekend.”

This is the sixth straight appearance in the LPGA Tour season finale for Henderson. She has never missed a cut at Tiburón Golf Club (all top-25s) and secured a career-best in the event of solo fifth last year.

“Getting off the plane on Monday night, I was so grateful to be back here in southwest Florida. Just feels like home,” said Henderson, who calls Miromar Lakes Golf Club (20 miles north of Naples) her home club in the United States. “Feels really nice to be back, sleep in my own bed and be so close to this course. I am definitely really grateful for that, and having my sister [and caddy Brittany] nearby, too.

“This tournament is such a great opportunity. There is a lot of money on the line and it is top-70 players from this year. It’s just an honor to qualify and hopefully I can capitalize on the opportunity.”

TOURNAMENT WITHIN A TOURNAMENT STILL ON THE LINE AT CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

No one imagined it would be this close. With Sei Young Kim capturing a major championship at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and then following it up with a victory at the Pelican Women’s Championship in her next start, most casual observers figured she would be a shoo-in for Rolex Player of the Year honors. In an abbreviated season with limited starts, who could catch her? 

The answer turned out to be simple: the only LPGA Hall of Fame member who still plays a full-time schedule and the woman who continues to amaze us every year she tees it up – Inbee Park.

Park is actually leading the Player of the Year race by a slim six points with one week to go. That is because in addition to her lone win of the year back in pre-COVID February – seemingly a lifetime ago – at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, the Queen Bee of women’s golf has an additional seven top-10 finishes in 2020, including runner-up finishes at the KPMG Women’s PGA (to Kim) and the Volunteers of America Classic. A tie for sixth at the U.S. Women’s Open moved Park into the driver’s seat for her second Rolex Player of the Year title.

But to show the differences in where Park and Kim are in their careers, Park said of possibly capturing Player of the Year, “You know, it would be nice to have some kind of a souvenir for a great year. To be honest, it really doesn't bother me that much anymore. It would be nice to have another award, obviously, but this year has been a gift. I'm just happy that we got to play. That's really all I can ask for. If the results follow, that's great. If not, I'm just really happy we're out here and playing and playing some really good golf.

BY THE NUMBERS — CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
The following statistics were compiled by Amy Mills, the LPGA Senior Manager of statistical research

Lexi Thompson has recorded four top-six finishes in six starts at the CME Group Tour Championship, including one win (2018) and second-place finish (2017), which is the best overall performance of any player in the event. Thompson has averaged 2.58 strokes under par per round since 2014.

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