Thitikul Seals Back-to-back Titles At Lpga Finale

CME Group Tour Championship - last leaderboard

-26 J Thitikul (Tha); -22 P Anannarukarn (Tha); -20 N Korda (US); -19 G Lopez (Mex); -17 N Hataoka (Jap)

Selected others: -16 K Sei-young (Kor); -13 L So-mi (Kor); -11 L Woad (Eng), C Hull (Eng)

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World number 1 Jeeno Thitikul defended her title astatine nan season-ending CME Group Tour Championship by holding disconnected chap Thai Pajaree Anannarukarn by 4 shots.

The 22-year-old fired a four-under-par 68 to decorativeness connected 26-under-par and unafraid nan $4m (£3.1m) winner's prize, on pinch nan LPGA Player of nan Year grant and Vare Trophy for play low-scoring mean successful Naples, Florida.

With nan triumph astatine nan Tiburon Golf Club, Thitikul became only nan 2nd subordinate to triumph back-to-back LPGA Tour Championship titles - matching South Korea's Ko Jin-young, who emerged victor successful 2020 and 2021.

"I emotion this play course," said Thitikul, who recovered from a wrist wounded to play successful nan play finale.

"Playing present successful nan past tourney of nan twelvemonth gives maine really bully energy.

"Last week successful Dallas, I was worried if I would beryllium capable to play this week. But I deliberation that was nan point, that I'm not reasoning excessively overmuch expecting things. I was conscionable like, I'll beryllium capable to play. That's really bully enough."

English brace Lottie Woad and Charley Hull vanished connected 11 under.

Thitikul had started nan time six shots clear but saw her lead trim to 2 pinch compatriot Pajaree, nan past qualifier successful nan 60-player field, making birdies connected nan first 3 holes arsenic good arsenic nan sixth and seventh.

However, nan leader recovered successful nan $11m (£8.4m) arena pinch an important birdie connected nan backmost 9 to amended her advantage to 5 shots.

Pajaree past made bogey astatine nan par-three 12th and her rival birdied nan 13th to scope 25-under.

Birdies astatine 16 and 17 followed for Pajaree, but Thitikul sealed her occurrence pinch a birdie connected nan 18th.