Down by two shots with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew exactly what was needed to capture the biggest prize in women’s golf history. And another eagle-birdie finish – for the second straight day – made it happen.
Thitikul claimed the record-setting $4m purse by winning the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It’s the biggest money prize in women’s golf history, bigger than even the winner’s shares in three of the four men’s major championships this year.
“Today, standing here with the trophy, it’s more than I can ask for,” Thitikul said.
Thitikul, who is yet to win a major, shot a seven-under 65 on Sunday and finished the week at 22 under, one shot ahead of USA’s Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee, only to wind up settling for the $1m runner-up check.
Yin, who missed the start of the season after breaking her leg, hardly sounded defeated after finishing second and more than doubling her 2024 earnings in four days.
“I’m pretty awesome … I’ve learned that I just need to believe my myself and that’s what I did,” Yin said.
The win and the massive check came down to the 18th hole, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21 under after a back-and-forth day atop the leaderboard – both knowing a mistake would likely come at a $3m cost.
Both hit the fairway on 18. Thitikul’s approach was nearly perfect, stopping about 5ft from the cup. She was smiling broadly as she approached the green, almost as if she knew what was about to happen. Yin’s birdie putt from around 15ft just missed. Thitikul’s was dead center. And history was hers.
Her plans for her cash? “Definitely spend it,” Thitikul said. “That’s an honest answer, for sure. Definitely going to spend it for a little while.”
She already had clinched a $1m bonus this week through the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a competition based on how players score on a designated hole each week. In the end, it wound up as a whopping $5m week for the 21-year-old from Thailand.
“All the hard work paid off,” said Thitikul.
New Zealand’s Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko (63) finished third at 17 under, her nine birdies coming in a 13-hole span. “I’m excited to be able to work hard this offseason and have another great 2025,” Ko said.
