Thitikul wins $4 million LPGA prize again. Valimaki becomes Finland's first PGA Tour winner

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand capped off her best year with the biggest cash prize in women’s golf, holding off an early challenge from Pajaree Anannarukarn and closing with a 4-under 68 to win the CME Group Tour Championship by four shots Sunday for another $4 million payoff.

Thitikul won for the third time this year on the LPGA Tour, and one last birdie on the final hole at Tiburon Golf Club gave her the lowest scoring average in tour history.

This was never really in doubt when Thitikul started with a six-shot lead over Nelly Korda, the American she replaced at No. 1 in the women’s world ranking this year.

Anannarukarn made it a game, however, with five birdies in seven holes to pull within two shots going to the back nine. Thitikul birdied the 10th and 13th holes and restored her lead to five shots.

The victory assured her winning LPGA player of the year and the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, the two biggest awards in women’s golf.

PGA Tour

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Sami Valimaki became Finland’s first PGA Tour winner on Sunday when he closed with a 4-under 66 for a one-shot victory in the RSM Classic, the final event of the year, which saw hopes rise and fall over the final hour at Sea Island.

Valimaki used putter from below the green on the 16th and then holed an 18-foot par putt. He was steady over the closing holes.

Ricky Castillo shot 28 on the front nine and closed with a 62, and when he finished, it looked as if that would be enough for him to move from No. 135 inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup to keep a full PGA Tour card. But then Max McGreevy holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 63, moving him into second place alone.

That bumped Castillo down to No. 102. Lee Hodges missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole that would have moved him into the top 100. By the end of the day, no one moved into the top 100.

Other tours

Yosuke Tsukada won his first Japan Golf Tour title in nine years when the 40-year-old closed with a 3-under 67 for a five-shot victory in the Dunlop Phoenix. … Cameron John hit 6-iron from a muddy lie to 12 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th hole, sending him to a late rally for a 6-under 66 and a two-shot victory in the Queensland PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia. … Casey Jarvis closed with a 7-under 65 and defeated Barend Botha in a playoff to win the Vodacom Original of Golf Final on the Sunshine Tour. … Chia Yen Wu shot a 4-under 67 to cap off a three-shot victory in the Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open on the Japan LPGA. … David Drysdale earned his first victory in 19 years with a 66 to win the Vattanac Legends Championship in Cambodia on the European Legends Tour. Drysdale had failed to win over 576 starts across the European and Legends tour.

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