CME Group Tour Championship: Field, tee times, and groups for the LPGA Tours season finale
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The LPGA Tour concludes this week at the CME Group Tour Championship, but who’s playing, and what’s up for grabs?
It has been a scintillating season on the LPGA Tour, with record prize money, a record number of first-time winners, Rose Zhang became the first LPGA Tour to win on her debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951, and so many more records smashed. What will this week at the CME Group Tour Championship have in store for us?
Heading into the season finale, Solheim Cup hero Celine Boutier sits at the top of the tree with 3076.983 points. The French superstar has risen to the top of the Race to the CME Globe Rankings following an impressive 2023 season. However, she isn’t as far clear as Rory McIlroy is in the Race to Dubai Rankings ahead of the DP World Tour Championship.
The nearest competitor to Celine Boutier is Lilia Vu. The American has notched up 2,981.968 points following four wins this season, two of which are Major Championships. Following Vu’s most recent victory at the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, she’ll be hoping for back-to-back wins to finish the season as the victor of the season-long Race to the CME Globe.
Despite Boutier and Vu both having incredible seasons, there are still 58 other players with a chance of winning the Tour Championship and ending the season as champions of the Race to the CME Globe. All 60 players in the field will fancy their chances at walking away with the $2 million cheque for first place.
Where is the CME Group Tour Championship being played?
The 33rd and final regular season event of the LPGA Tour season is held at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida. The CME Group Tour Championship will be played on the Gold Course at Tiburón Golf Club.
Both courses at Tiburón Golf Club, the Gold Course, and the Black Course, are Greg Norman-designed courses. This will be the eleventh consecutive time the Gold Course at Tiburón Golf Club will have hosted the CME Group Tour Championship.
The Gold Course measures 6,556 yards for the tournament. The par-72 course is littered with unique stacked sod wall bunkers and coquina shell waste bunkers. The most punishing hazard the players have to negotiate on the Golf Course is water – a feature on fifteen holes.
The course record is held by the 2022 CME Group Tour Championship victor, Lydia Ko. In 2016, when the New Zealander was bidding for her second win in the tournament, she carded a 10-under par, 62. This score remains the best recorded at this tournament.
Who is playing in the CME Group Tour Championship?
The Tour Championship will be contested by the top 60 players in the Race to the CME Globe Rankings including 17 of the top 20 in the Rolex Rankings.
Eleven members of the 2023 USA Solheim Cup Team will tee it up in Naples, with only 2018 tournament champion and 2017 Race to the CME Globe winner, Lexi Thompson not making the 60-player cut. Of the twelve Europeans that won the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain, ten will be battling to win in Florida. The two from Europe missing out are Emily Kristine Pedersen and Caroline Hedwall.
Who will win the CME Group Tour Championship?
Since 2013, the event has been held at Tiburón Golf Club, Gold Course. The previous ten tournaments have been won by eight different golfers (only Lydia Ko and Jin Young Ko have won it twice).
This course sets up well for golfers with distance off the tee, score well on par-4s, get up and down from the sand, and gain strokes on the field in putting and approach play. With that in mind, certain players to look out for are the bookies’ favorite Atthaya Thitikul (11/1), World No.6 Nelly Korda (14/1), World No.4 Jin Young Ko (16/1), and World No.8 Charley Hull (25/1)
Selected others
Lilia Vu 12/1
Minjee Lee 14/1
Celine Boutier 18/1
Megan Khang 22/1
Ruoning Yin 22/1
Rose Zhang 25/1
Leona Maguire 33/1
Ariya Jutanugarn 50/1
Sei Young Kim 66/1
*Prices reflect an average across bookmakers before the first round.
How much prize money is on offer at the CME Group Tour Championship?
Players will compete for a share of the $7 million purse, with the winner taking home $2 million. This is the biggest payday on the LPGA Tour away from the Major Championships.
How can I watch the CME Group Tour Championship?
UK viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports Golf.
All times GMT
Thursday, October 16: Sky Sports Golf, 20.00
Friday, October 17 Sky Sports Golf, 20.00
Saturday, October 18: Sky Sports Golf, 19.00
Sunday, October 19: Sky Sports Golf, 18.00
US viewers can catch all the action on NBC.
All times EST
Thursday, October 16: Golf Channel, 14.00
Friday, October 17: Golf Channel, 14.00
Saturday, October 18: Golf Channel, 14.00
Sunday, October 19: NBC, 13.00
CME Group Tour Championship: Tee Times and Groups
Lilia Vu and Celine Boutier will be the last pair to tee off on day one, teeing off at 12.35 EST (17.35 GMT)
| Time | Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 07:45 | Lee, Andrea | Sagstrom, Madelene |
| 07:55 | Tavatanakit, Patty | Kemp, Sarah |
| 08:05 | Pagdanganan, Bianca | Kyriacou, Stephanie |
| 08:15 | Kang, Danielle | Delacour, Perrine |
| 08:25 | Szokol, Elizabeth | Wannasaen, Chanettee |
| 08:35 | Nishimura, Yuna | Dryburgh, Gemma |
| 08:45 | Young Kim, Sei | Suwannapura, Jasmine |
| 08:55 | Nordqvist, Anna | Chien, Peiyun |
| 09:05 | Lopez, Gabby | Strom, Linnea |
| 09:15 | Liu, Yu | Pano, Alexa |
| 09:25 | Anannarukarn, Pajaree | Ashok, Aditi |
| 09:35 | Ewart Shadoff, Jodi | Choi, Hye-Jin |
| 09:45 | Lim Kim, A | Henseleit, Esther |
| 09:55 | Shin, Jenny | Kupcho, Jennifer |
| 10:05 | Yang, Amy | Ewing, Ally |
| 10:15 | Stark, Maja | Kim, Grace |
| 10:25 | Ciganda, Carlota | Green, Hannah |
| 10:35 | Jutanugarn, Ariya | Lee, Alison |
| 10:45 | Knight, Cheyenne | Zhang, Rose |
| 10:55 | Grant, Linn | Hall, Georgia |
| 11:05 | Hataoka, Nasa | Buhai, Ashleigh |
| 11:15 | Maguire, Leona | Khang, Megan |
| 11:25 | Korda, Nelly | Saso, Yuka |
| 11:35 | Yin, Angel | Henderson, Brooke M. |
| 11:45 | Hull, Charley | Ryu, Hae Ran |
| 11:55 | Corpuz, Allisen | Furue, Ayaka |
| 12:05 | Thitikul, Atthaya | Lin, Xiyu |
| 12:15 | Ko, Jin Young | Lee, Minjee |
| 12:25 | Yin, Ruoning | Kim, Hyo Joo |
| 12:35 | Boutier, Celine | Vu, Lilia |
LPGA Tour – Race to the CME Globe Rankings
Going into the season-ending Tour Championship, Celine Boutier has amassed an outstanding number of points from her 21 events this season, to have a commanding lead over the chasing pack. Lilia Vu in second, sits less than 100 points behind Boutier having played three fewer events. China’s Ruoning Yin is a further 532.685 points behind Boutier, in third. This would mean that if the winner was to achieve the 500 points given out for wins in the regular season, only Lilia Vu and Celine Boutier would be fighting it out for the top spot.
However, following a change in 2019, the winner of the CME Group Tour Championship is automatically crowned champion of the Race to the CME Globe. For Boutier and Vu this could cause heartbreak, but for Ruoning and the 57 other golfers in pursuit, it means that everything is still to play for.
| Position | Player | Nationality | Events | Points |
| 1 | Celine Boutier | France | 21 | 3,076.983 |
| 2 | Lilia Vu | America | 18 | 2,981.968 |
| 3 | Ruoning Yin | China | 20 | 2,544.298 |
| 4 | Hyo Joo Kim | South Korea | 19 | 2,355.429 |
| 5 | Jin Young Ko | South Korea | 17 | 1,969.890 |
| 6 | Minjee Lee | Australia | 17 | 1,895.483 |
| 7 | Atthaya Thitikul | Thailand | 20 | 1,822.530 |
| 8 | Xiyu Lin | China | 20 | 1,797.586 |
| 9 | Allisen Corpuz | America | 23 | 1,789.154 |
| 10 | Ayaka Furue | Japan | 23 | 1,751.275 |
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About the author
James Hogg – Golf Equipment Writer
James Hogg is a golf equipment writer for todays-golfer.com.
He has a degree in English Language from Newcastle University and an MA in Journalism from Kingston University.
James previously worked for American Golf alongside his studies as part of the sales and fitting team. Having worked in golf retail for seven years he has all the skills and knowledge necessary to review and recommend the perfect equipment for golfers of all abilities and has a strong knowledge of putters, golf balls, and golf apparel, including trousers.
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The LPGA Tour will conclude this week at Tiburon Golf Club with the CME Group Tour Championship
