Irish golf’s Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow have their work cut out to finish in the big money after the second round of the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship in Florida.

Slieve Russell star Maguire added a 72 to her opening 73 to share 42nd place one-over par in the 72-strong field with Meadow a shot further back after a disappointing 76.

South Korea’s Jin Young Ko shot a five-under 67 to lead by a shot on nine-under from compatriot and fellow major winner Sei Yougn Kim, who shot 69 and overnight leader Lexi Thompson, who carded a 71.

Starting on the back nine for the second day running, Maguire birdied the18th to get back to level par for the tournament but turning back into the wind, she bogeyed the third and fourth before finishing with a birdie at the ninth.

She hit 14 of 14 fairways, eight greens in regulation and had 25 putts as Meadow had 33 putts in her 76 including one three-putt.

Meadow faced a tough start on the front nine and after running up a double-bogeyed six at the second, the Jordanstown native (28) bogeyed the 11th and par-five 17th to end the day tied for 47th.

South Korea’s Jin Young Ko shot a five-under 67 to lead by a shot on nine-under from compatriot and fellow major winner Sei Young Kim, who shot 69, and overnight leader Lexi Thompson, who carded a 71.

Scores

Ko hit 14 of 14 fairways and went bogey-free while finding five birdies with four of them on her back nine.

Playing in only her fourth LPGA Tour event of 2020, Ko said the chilly conditions reminded her of mornings in Dallas and Houston the past two weeks, but she still felt comfortable with her game in Naples, Fla.

“Before, when I play in KLPGA, it was really cold, so I hate cold weather to play golf, but right now I love it,” said Ko.

One stroke back of the six-time LPGA Tour winner is two who are in familiar territory being in contention at the Tour’s season finale: defending champion Kim and 2018 champion Thompson.

Kim started strong with four birdies in her first five holes but made the turn after bogeys on Nos. 7 and 9. A birdie on No. 14 and eight pars was enough for a second-straight sub-70 round (69). Thompson also rebounded after two bogeys on her front nine with birdies on No. 14 and 15 for her 16th consecutive under-par round at Tiburon.

“It feels very solid in the morning because we got the strong wind, but my shot really solid. After I had four birdies, I feel like it's not good. Yeah, it feel like getting it's not used to,” said Kim. “So I had two bogeys and I had few missed shots, and then I try to, yeah, just relax and got me back on normal feel. So, I was able to finish it normal.” 

“It was different conditions today of course, with the cooler weather in the morning, and I would say overall it was a lot breezier throughout the day. But it was nice out. Definitely can't beat it. It's not raining, so that's always nice,” said Thompson. “It was a little bit of an up and down day. I thought I struck it really well on the front nine. I got a few bad breaks with a few ridges on the greens, but you can get that on this golf course.”

Behind Kim and Thompson is Australian Hannah Green, whose 68 on Friday was enough to keep her at solo fourth on -6. Green is followed by six players in a tie for fifth, including Florida native Nelly Korda. Korda, who came in a tie for third at the 2019 CME Group Tour Championship, pulled together a 6-under 66 after a first-round 72, carding seven birdies on the day. Lurking at -5 and in a tie for 11th is Mina Harigae and 2014 champion Lydia Ko, who recorded the lowest round of the day with 65, three shots off the tournament’s 18-hole scoring record (62) that she set back in 2016.

 

WORLD NO. 1 PROJECTIONS FOR CME

As Jin Young Ko and Sei Young Kim battle for another career victory on the LPGA Tour, the fight for World No. 1 comes to head this week at the CME Group Tour Championship. Heading into the Tour’s season finale, Ko began her 73rd consecutive at World No. 1 with an average of 8.3835, while Sei Young Kim sits firmly in No. 2 on the Rolex Rankings with a 7.4070 average.

There is one scenario that would project shifting of the No. 1 position in the Rolex Rankings. Kim, who has two victories on the season including her maiden major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, must win and have Ko finish solo 10th or worse. A second-place finish by Kim and zero points earned by Ko is not enough for Kim to overtake Ko in the Rolex Rankings.

“World ranking is -- my thinking, my opinion, is it's just little things to play golf. So if play good I can do world ranking No. 1 still; but if not, yeah, and then she plays good, she can do,” said Ko, who will play with Kim in Saturday’s final grouping.

“I'm very looking forward to this weekend because it's going to be, my position is really exciting to chase the world ranking No. 1,” said Kim. “I'm very excited and then look forward, and hopefully play well this weekend.”

 

LEXI BATTLES BACK TO STAY IN THE HUNT AT SEASON FINALE

With her legs up against the revetted wall of the greenside bunker on the par-5 17th at Tiburón Golf Club, Lexi Thompson pulled off one of the greatest golf shots ever seen at the CME Group Tour Championship. She failed to make the six-foot birdie putt, but the effort resembled the type of resiliency shown by Thompson throughout the second round of the LPGA Tour season finale this afternoon.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to watch that,” said Thompson, in awe of her own accomplishment. “My brother [and caddy Curtis] was like, ‘the main focus is to not hit the lip on your downswing. I was like, yeah. He was like, ‘just open up.’ Well then I’m going to hit my leg. It was one of those shots where you hit and hope. I got in there and was like, okay, there is this miracle shot and it happened.”

Thompson managed a birdie on No. 2 before bogeys at Nos. 3 and 9 to make the turn at 1-over par. The 2018 CME Group Tour Championship winner rebounded with birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to climb back into red figures for the round.

She closed a 1-under par 71 with three straight pars—including the rabbit out of a hat shot at No. 17—to remain within striking distance at -8 overall. Thompson will join the Rolex Rankings No. 1 and 36-hole leader Jin Young Ko and defending CME Group Tour Championship champion Sei Young Kim in the final grouping of the third round off No. 1 tee at 10:50 a.m. ET tomorrow.

“Every time I tee it up, I know I’m competing against the best,” Thompson said. “I don’t think I’ve been paired with them together ever in my career. It’ll be nice. Looking forward to the weekend and hopefully get some good weather, go out and have two more good rounds.”

 

HANNAH GREEN’S 24th BIRTHDAY WISH? TO WIN ON HER BIRTHDAY

With two rounds left to go in Naples, Fla., major winner Hannah Green shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to sit in solo fourth heading into the weekend at the CME Group Tour Championship. Green said a win would be the perfect birthday present, as the young Australian turns 24 on the final day of the Tour Championship.

“We were fortunate enough to have the events we had this year, and very fortunate CME has helped us out along the way. I hope I can get a win this year and sneak one in on my birthday,” said Green. “It's strange to be in an event [during my birthday,] and I'm planning on driving back to Orlando, about a three-hour drive. I'll mainly be by myself, but if I had a trophy in the seat next to me, I would be very, very happy, so we'll see what happens.”

Green said she’s never played in a Tour event in December, and normally she would be celebrating with friends and family in Perth. She said it’s strange to be at an event, but going home on Sunday with a trophy would be the best bonus of 2020. In 2019, Green won both the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Cambia Portland Classic. Winning this week would be her first victory of the season and her first top-10 finish, though she has recorded three top-15 results this year.

“I feel like I'm hitting a lot of fairways and greens, which is really important here. Also miss-hitting it. It's easy to miss greens here, so making sure you don't short-side yourself and leave yourself in the best possible place to make up and downs. I think I've done a great job with that,” said Green. “Over the last couple weeks, it's been a struggle dealing with the cold. I'm not used to those temperatures, so it's nice to come here and be able to just wear one layer and feel where your swing is.”

 

KORDA BACK IN CONTENTION AT THE CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

“I'm a Florida girl. I do not like this. I like fall fashion, but I do not like playing golf in this kind of weather.”

Nelly Korda may not be a fan of the chillier conditions at Tiburon Golf Club on Friday, but that didn’t stop the young three-time LPGA Tour winner from recording a second-round 66 at the CME Group Tour Championship to shoot up the leaderboard from a tie for 36th into a tie for fifth at -6. Korda tied her lowest 18-hole score in Naples, which she previously recorded in last year’s third round. 

“I just feel super comfortable out here. I guess it's because I grew up in Florida. Just the style of this golf course, I just feel super confident out here,” said Korda, who has three top-10 finishes in her three appearances at the Tour Championship. “It was really nice to roll in some putts. I wasn't putting too well yesterday, but my dad -- behind the fence -- saw me putt on the putting green after my round and helped me out a little bit. So that really helped today,”

It was a significant difference from last week, where Korda said she felt “rusty” while competing in the U.S. Women’s Open, her first event since withdrawing due to a back injury from the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Korda said it was a learning experience, as the 22-year-old became motivated to play better at the LPGA Tour’s season finale.

“It was more of like my feel wasn't really there. At the end of the day, no one really pays attention I think to like, ‘Oh, she was injured.’ They pay attention to the score,” said Korda, who missed the cut last week at Champions Golf Club. “For me to step back and say, okay, my team knows I was rusty and I didn't play well. It's okay. You're going to have bad tournaments. Just focus on the upcoming one and do as well as you can.”

 

LYDIA KO CRUISES IN COLD SECOND ROUND

She holds the course record. In 2016, when she was 19 years old, Lydia Ko fired a 62 at Tiburon Golf Club in the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship. Four years later, on Thursday of this week, as she was cruising along the back nine at three over par, she said to herself, “Oh, wow, just 13 shots worse.”

Ko rallied with two birdies and a closing bogey on Thursday to shoot 74 in the first round of this CME Group Tour Championship. Then on Friday, as a frigid north wind blew into Naples like a crazy aunt at Christmas, Ko put a heat pack on her lower back and set the course ablaze, firing a 7-under 65, the low round of the day. She went from the bottom half of the field relegated to starting on the back nine, to within four shots of the lead and four groups behind the leaders going into the weekend.

“I was a lot more on the fairways and I was off to a much better start,” Ko said after the second round. “Yesterday I was 4-over through seven. At that point you are just trying to get birdies to have a comeback.

“I was able to do that somewhat. But I got off to a good start (today). You know, having lots of birdie opportunities was really key. Even though it was getting a little breezy at the start of the day, I set up a lot of good chances for birdies, so that makes it a lot less stressful. Whereas if you're trying to make up-and-downs, it wears you out pretty quick.”

 

LPGA COMES BACK STRONGER THAN EVER WITH 2021 TOUR SCHEDULE

After a year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 is gearing up to be an incredible season for the LPGA Tour. The 2021 LPGA Tour schedule will feature 34 official events across North America, Europe and Asia, with two new events added to the tournament calendar and players competing for a record $76.45 million in official purses.

In a demonstration of partnership with Tour sponsors, all official LPGA events that were postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic will return to the Tour schedule in 2021. There are several adjustments to the schedule given pandemic-related challenges that may arise in early 2021. Namely, full-field events won’t begin until late February, and the usual Spring Asia Swing has been moved back to late April and early May.

“We can all agree that 2020, while certainly not the 70th anniversary year that we expected, was a year that we will never forget,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “As we look back at the year, I am amazed at how our partnerships have actually grown during this trying time, and how the LPGA staff was able to return all three Tours to play in summer 2020. We actually added sponsorship sales in 2020 in the form of new title partners and new marketing partners, and we proved that professional golf can be played safely for all involved. And our fans responded. Social engagement is up more than 40% and TV viewership is up more than 30% over last year. As we look to 2021, we are recapturing the momentum that we had at the beginning of 2020 and we are excited about our future, which will include news of new title sponsors and several significant purse increases.”

To read more about the 2021 LPGA Tour schedule on LPGA.com, click here: https://www.lpga.com/news/2020/lpga-comes-back-stronger-than-ever-with-2021-tour-schedule

PLAYER NOTES 

Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko (68-67) 

• She hit 14 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens, with 26 putts

• This is Ko’s third season on the LPGA Tour; she has six victories, including major titles at the 2019 ANA Inspiration and the 2019 Evian Championship

• This is Ko’s fourth event of the 2020 LPGA Tour season; she was co-runner-up at last week’s U.S. Women’s Open and finished fifth at the Volunteers of America Classic

• This is Ko’s fourth appearance in the CME Group Tour Championship; her best finish is a tie for 11th in 2019

• Ko has been No. 1 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings since July 20, 2019, which is a streak of 73 consecutive weeks; she was also No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings for 12 weeks in early 2019

• Swept the LPGA Tour’s major 2019 awards, winning Rolex Player of the Year, Rolex Annika Major Award, Vare Trophy and Official Money Title honors

• Earned four victories along with two of five major championships in 2019, with eight additional top-10 finishes including three runner-up performances

• Her 114 consecutive bogey-free holes in 2019 bested Tiger Woods’ record of 110 and is the longest known streak in LPGA and PGA Tour history

• Became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, and joined Beverly Hanson (1951 Eastern Open) as the only players in LPGA history to win in their debut as Tour Members

• In 2018, clinched Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors with four events remaining in the season

• As a non-member, won the 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship and was runner-up at the 2015 AIG Women’s British Open

 

Rolex Rankings No. 2 Sei Young Kim (67-69) 

• She hit 13 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens, with 29 putts

• This is Kim’s sixth season on the LPGA Tour; she has 12 victories, including the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2020 Pelican Women’s Championship

• This is Kim’s ninth event of the 2020 LPGA Tour season; she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Pelican Women’s Championship, and has three other top-10 finishes

• This is Kim’s sixth appearance at the CME Group Tour Championship; she won the 2019 competition and tied for 10th in 2018, with no finish worse than 24th

• Her win at the 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic set the LPGA Tour 72-hole scoring record of 31-under par 257, breaking the mark of 27-under 261 held by Annika Sorenstam and Kim herself

• Earned the largest winner’s check in the history of women’s golf, $1.5 million, with a win at the 2019 CME Group Tour Championship, surpassing $8 million in career earnings

• Kim has recorded at least one win in every LPGA Tour season since 2015 (12 career wins)

• She has two wins in 2020, her fourth multi-win season since her rookie year of 2015

• Represented the Republic of Korea in the 2019 Rio Olympics, finishing T25

• Member of Team Korea at the 2016 UL International Crown, posting a 3-1-0 record

• 2015 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year

• A third-degree black belt in taekwondo, her father owned a taekwondo academy in their native Republic of Korea

 

Rolex Rankings No. 11 Lexi Thompson (65-71) 

• She hit 13 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, with 32 putts

• This is Thompson’s ninth season on the LPGA Tour; she has 11 victories, most recently at the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, and has won at least once for the last seven consecutive season

• This is Thompson’s 12th event of the 2020 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is fourth at the ANA Inspiration

• This is Thompson’s 10th appearance at the CME Group Tour Championship; she won the title in 2018 and has three other top-10 finishes

• Thompson’s brother and fellow professional golfer Curtis is working as her caddie this week

• A four-time member of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) with a 5-4-6 overall record

• Represented the United States in the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing T19

• A three-time member of Team USA at the UL International Crown (2014, 2016, 2018), posting a 7-3-1 overall record

• 2017 Vare Trophy and Race to the CME Globe winner