The season-ending CME Group Tour Championship will be a bit bigger in 2020.
The LPGA announced on Thursday that this year’s field will include the top 70 from the Race to the CME Globe points standings, an increase of 10 spots. In addition, two sponsor exemptions will be given out. The 72-hole tournament will not have a cut and will offer a purse of $3 million. The winner will receive a check of $1.1 million, the highest first-place check on the LPGA.
“The 2020 LPGA Tour season has certainly faced its challenges, and thanks to incredible partners like CME Group, we have been able to stage competitive opportunities for our players,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan in a statement. “Terry Duffy and his team are among the greatest ambassadors for women’s golf, and we are incredibly appreciative that they have remained with us through this season. The LPGA and CME Group intend to return the Tour Championship back to its original format in 2021.”
Last year’s field played for a $5 million purse and a record $1.5 million payout to winner Sei Young Kim. This year’s event has been pushed back from its traditional week before Thanksgiving date and will now take place Dec. 17-20 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. The first three rounds will be televised on Golf Channel, and Sunday’s round will be on NBC.
“We are extremely proud to continue our long-standing relationship with the LPGA Tour, which supports female athletes while also elevating the sport of women’s golf,” said Terry Duffy, CME Group Chairman and CEO. “Through the CME Group Tour Championship, we are also very proud to continue our support of St. Jude Children’s Hospital – where no family ever receives a bill because all they should worry about is helping their child live. We believe this year’s Tour Championship will provide an exciting finish to one the most uncertain years in history.”
Following this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic, there are six events left on the LPGA schedule, including two majors.
Race to the CME Globe points standings
RankPlayerPoints1Danielle Kang15892Inbee Park12353Minjee Lee9494Austin Ernst8925Nelly Korda8486Stacy Lewis8457Nasa Hataoka8308Georgia Hall7739Celine Boutier75610Jasmine Suwannapura74711Jodi Ewart Shadoff68812Lydia Ko67613Madelene Sagstrom67314Mirim Lee64515Cheyenne Knight64116Hee Young Park58917Brooke M. Henderson58818Gaby Lopez58519Amy Olson56920Anna Nordqvist55221Yu Liu53222Moriya Jutanugarn52822Ashleigh Buhai52824Azahara Munoz51225Caroline Masson47726Yealimi Noh44227Cydney Clanton43728Perrine Delacour42729Angela Stanford42030Jennifer Song41731Marina Alex40132Lexi Thompson39433Carlota Ciganda38134Sei Young Kim37635Xiyu Lin37336Lizette Salas36837Andrea Lee36238In Gee Chun36139Kelly Tan35840Christina Kim35041Brittany Altomare34742Mi Hyang Lee34543So Yeon Ryu33744Mel Reid33345Kristen Gillman32946Ally
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By: Beth Ann Nichols
Title: LPGA’s CME Group Tour Championship tweaks field size, purse in 2020
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2020/10/01/lpga-cme-group-tour-championship-field-prize-money/
Published Date: Thu, 01 Oct 2020 15:28:20 +0000