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Ladies of the Links: November 15, 2019

Nov 15th 2019

Ladies of the Links: November 15, 2019

The much anticipated end of the 2019 LPGA season is just around the corner as the ladies head to the CME Group Tour Championship November 21–24 in Naples, FL. The CME Race to the Globe is up for grabs with numerous players still in contention. Let’s take a look at the top players based on points entering the event.

Jin Young Ko

The 24-year old from South Korea enters first in the Rolex world golf rankings and a commanding point lead in the CME Race to the Globe. She has four wins and 12 top-ten finishes on tour this season and 27 top-tens with six career victories. Ko had an early season stretch in which she finished third, first, second and first, winning at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup and ANA Inspiration. Later in the summer, Ko had another hot stretch wish four-top three finishes including win at The Evian Championship and CP Women’s Open. She is clearly the one to beat with more than 1200 point advantage over the next closest competitor.

Brooke Henderson

Henderson, a 22-year old from Canada is seventh in the Rolex rankings. She has 47 career top-ten finishes and nine victories on the LPGA Tour. She appeared on 26 events this season with two wins and 12 top-tens. Her wins came at the LOTTE Championship on April 17 and the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give on June 13. Henderson also has five other top-five finishes and tied for fourth in her most recent event at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA on October 31.

Minjee Lee

The 23-year old from Perth, Australia comes in 5th in the Rolex rankings with 47 career top-ten finishes and five wins. Lee has played in 25 events this season with one win and nine top-tens. She started the season strong, finishing second at both the Honda LPGA Thailand and HSBC Women’s World Championship in consecutive weeks. Lee also finished second at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational on July 17. She finished tied for third at the LOTTE Championship and in her last event at the TOTO Japan Classic. Her lone win of the season came at the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open.

Jeongeun Lee6

Ranked sixth in the world golf rankings, the 23-year old from South Korean has 12 career top-ten finishes and one win. Her victory came this season in 24 starts, to go along with 10 top-ten finishes. Lee6 placed tied for sixth at the ANA Inspiration on April 4 for her first top five of the season. She had a nice run from the beginning of May through the beginning of June, fishing second twice and winning the US Women’s Open on May 30. Lee^ went through a three week stretch in which she missed two cuts, including The Evian Championship. Although inconsistent this season, Lee6 then had four top-tens the following five weeks and is one to watch this week.

Nelly Korda

A rookie in 2017, the 21-year old Korda from Bradenton, Florida is third in the Rolex rankings with 23 career top-ten finishes and three wins. Two of her wins came this season to go along with 11 top-tens. Korda’s season started off well with a third place finish at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions and a win at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open on February 14. After a tied for second at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup at the end of March, she had only one top ten and a missed cut over the next five. Korda proceeded to place in the top ten five times this rest of the way including a win at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA.

Sung Hyun Park

Entering as the number two player in the world, Park has two wins and seven top-ten finishes in 19 events this season. The 26-year-old golfer from South Korea has 30 career top-tens and seven victories. She won early this season the HSBC Women’s World Championship at the end of February and placed tied for 2nd at the Kia Classic a month later. Park went through a tough stretch the next three tournaments, placing no better than 35th with a missed cut. She got back on track with five consecutive top-tens, including a win at the NW Arkansas Championships. In her most recent event, Park finished tied for 15th at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA.

Sei Young Kim

Ranked 12th in the Rolex Rankings, Kim has two victories this season and nine top-tens in 24 events. The 26-year-old from South Korea has an impressive 48 career top-tens with nine victories. She got off to a slow start this season with only one top ten to go along with a withdraw and a missed cut in seven tournaments. Kim placed second at the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open on April 25 and followed with a win at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship. Her second win of the season came at the Marathon Classic on July 11 and Lee is on a hot streak with four consecutive top-ten including a tie for fourth in her most recent tournament.

Danielle Kang

The 27-year-old San Francisco native, Kang is eighth in the world golf rankings and has a win and ten top-ten finishes in 20 events this season. For her career, Kang has three victories and 32 top-tens under her belt. Kang finished tied for 9th at the Honda LPGA Thailand, and had a good run from March 28 through April 17, finishing 2nd, 5th and 6th at the Kia Classic, ANA Inspiration, and LOTTE Championship. Inconsistent in the middle of the season, Kang withdrew from the Pure Silk Championship and missed cut at the US Open. She is now playing her best golf, after winning the Buick LPGA Shanghai and 2nd at the BMW Ladies Championship.

Lexi Thompson

An LPGA Tour member since 2012, the 24-year old from Coral Springs, Florida has 66 top-ten finishes and 11 wins in her career. Thompson has an up and down 2019 season, winning once with seven top-tens in 20 events. Ranked number nine in the world, Thompson’s first top five of the year came at the ANA Inspiration no April 4. Displaying the rocky season, she missed the cut three weeks later, followed with a tie for fourth at the LPGA MEDIHEAL and another missed cut in her following event. She bounced back with a tie for second at the US Women’s Open and got in the winner’s circle this year at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Thompson had two near misses, finishing second two more times, at the Meijer LPGA and Marathon Classic. She missed the cut in her most recent event at the TOTO Japan Classic.

Hyo Joo Kim

The 13th ranked player in the world, Kim has 38 top-ten finishes and three wins under her belt. This season, she is without a victory, but has 12 top-tens in 20 events. Kim has put herself into position to win on several occasions, placing in the top five in five different tournaments. She finished 5th both the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. Her best finishes came at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, The Evian Championship, and the TOTO Japan Classic last week, finishing second all three times.

Ariya Jutanugarn

After a poor season by her standards, the 23-year old from Thailand dropped to 10th in the Rolex rankings. She played in 28 events this season, failed to finish in the winner’s circle and recorded 10 top-ten finishes. Jutanugarn placed in the top-ten only twice in her first 12 events, at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the LOTTE Championship. Despite a rocky season, she went on a hot streak from July 4 through August 22, finishing in the top ten four times in five events. Her best finish of the season was second at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. With 64 top-ten finishes and ten wins, Jutanugarn is always a threat anytime she tees it up.