Tied after 54 holes, the co-leaders of the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship put on a Sunday duel with a $4 million first-place prize hanging in the balance.
Jeeno Thitikul had already banked $1 million this week for claiming the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge. A win at Tiburon Golf Club would make it a $5 million week. She took it to the bank but not without a fight.
Angel Yin was going to have something to say about that. After falling behind by two shots through three holes, she got back into the hunt and she birdied the fourth, a hole that Thitikul bogeyed which knotted things up once again. It was back-and-forth from there.
Yin pulled ahead by a shot on the 10th hole, making birdie to get to 18 under. She made it a two-shot lead after pouring in another putt for birdie on the 12th hole.
A Thitikul birdie on 14 knotted things up again at the top at 19 under. Moments later, Yin was the first to 20 under par after she birdied the 14th.
A one-shot lead with four to go.
On the 16th hole, Yin stared down a 40-footer for yet another birdie and just poured it in to get to 21 under and a two-shot lead with two to go.
The drama wouldn’t let up, though. On the 17th hole, Thitikul made eagle on the par-5 17th hole to knot things up again at 21 under. Moments later, Yin, who’d been making putts all day, pushed one right and had to settle for par to keep things tied.
On 18, Thitikul flushed her second shot to about 5 feet, setting up a potentially tournament-winning birdie putt. Then it was Yin’s chance to answer. With a 7-iron in her hands from 168 yards, Yin hit the green but was about 25 feet away.
On the putting surface, Yin was first but her ball just burned the right edge, forcing her to settle for par. Then it was Thitikul’s turn.
And she drained it. A final-round 65 and a 22-under overall score.
“In dramatic fashion!,” said Golf Channel’s Terry Gannon.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Jeeno Thitikul wins LPGA 2024 CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon in Naples
