CME Globe LPGA Tour Championship
Purse: €10.4 million (€3.78 million to the winner)
Where: Naples, Florida
The course: Tiburón Golf Club (Gold Course) – 6,556 yards, par 72 – is a Greg Norman-design (Tiburón is the Spanish word for shark) and has played host to the LPGA Tour Championship since 2013. The course is a certified nature sanctuary. Unusually, the bunkers are filled with coquina shell waste rather than sand and they also features turf sods in the formation of the walls.
The field: Nelly Korda – the world number one and a seven-time winner on tour this season, including last week’s Annika driven by Gainbridge – heads an exceptionally strong line-up in the end-of-season tournament limited to the leading 60 available players off the order of merit. All 60 in the field have a chance to scoop the $4 million (€3.78 million) winner’s prize as, unlike the men’s equivalent where there is a weighted start, all commence from a level playing field.
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Quote-Unquote: “Honestly, it’s been a crazy year. I’m grateful for all of it. I am grateful for the highs; grateful for the lows; grateful to be doing what I love in front of people hopefully inspiring the next generation. It’s really tough to win out here against such great players. The calibre of players is really, really high out here. I would say to me, it’s really, really nice to know that all the hard work that I put in with my team is paying off.” – Nelly Korda, already assured of the Rolex Player of the Year on the LPGA Tour, on her “crazy year”.
Irish in the field: Leona Maguire had a nervous weekend at the Annika where she missed the cut before being guaranteed her place in the limited-field season finale. Maguire is ranked 58th of the 60 player field and is paired with American Ryann O’Toole for the opening round (tee-time 12.55pm Irish time).
Betting: Hardly a surprise to see Nelly Korda installed as the 9-2 favourite which represent decent odds given her dominance this season, while Jeeno Thitikul is rated a 15-2 chance. Charley Hull is bang in form and worth a look at 14-1. Leona Maguire’s dip in form (no top-10s on the LPGA Tour since her T-Mobile Matchplay final defeat to Korda back in April) is reflected in odds of 200-1.
On TV: Live on Sky Sports (live coverage 8pm).
RSM Classic
Purse: €7.2 million (€1.3 million to the winner)
Where: Sea Island, Georgia
The course: The Seaside Course – 7,005 yards, par 70 – is a Tom Fazio redesign of the original Harry Colt/Charles Alison layout by the Atlantic Ocean. Local resident Davis Love III (he designed the complementary Plantation course which is also in play for the first two rounds) has described it as “18 matchless holes” in terms of the challenge and its seaside aesthetics.
The field: As the last of the FedEx Cup Fall Series events, where those ranked 51st-60th in the standings will earn exemptions into the Genesis Invitational and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (both $20 million signature events on the PGA Tour) next season, there is a lot at stake with Séamus Power among those looking to nail down his position.
Quote-Unquote: “I feel 100 per cent, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I had about four weeks off from playing golf, I didn’t touch a golf club. Started hitting short pitches and wedges at first and then to kind of load it a little bit more and put more pressure on it. Now I’m actually a little bit stronger now than I was before, so that’s good.” – defending champion Ludvig Aberg, who underwent knee surgery following the Tour Championship in August, on returning to competition.
Irish in the field: Séamus Power is in a group with Lucas Glover and Francesco Molinari (playing the Plantation Course for the first round) (tee time 3.55pm Irish time).
Betting: Although he hasn’t played competitively in almost three months, defending champion Ludvig Aberg is the market leader at 10-1 with Davis Thompson a 14-1 shout. Séamus Power has played well at Sea Island in the past and is a 28-1 shot. In terms of each-way value, Joe Highsmith at 70-1 is worth consideration.
On TV: Live on Sky Sports (live coverage 1pm).
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