The Limerick Summary: 2014 CME Group Tour Championship

Winner: Lydia Ko

Around the wider world of golf: Mardan Mamat won the Resorts World Manila Masters on the Asian Tour; Hideki Matsuyama won the Dunlop Phoenix Open on the Japan Tour; Henrik Stenson successfully defended his title at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai on the ET; Nick Cullen won the BetEasy Masters on the Australasian Tour; amateur Ssu-Chia Cheng won the Xiamen Open on the LET; and Sakura Yokomine won the ElleAir Ladies Open on the JLPGA (the Constructivist has details).

Sunday the Kobra struck and struck difficult... However if we're sincere, it seems that no one actually expected it.

Going into the CME Group Tour Championship the big buzz turned into round Stacy Lewis and Inbee Park, the two leaders in... Nicely, in just about the whole thing. Lewis and Park were expected to duel it out down the stretch for:

• the tournament title,
• the $1mil CME Race to the Globe,
• the money title,
• the scoring title (aka the Vare Trophy), and
• the Rolex Player of the Year Award.

Lewis and Park were 1 and 2, respectively, in just about every category. There was also some talk about Michelle Wie, at 4 in the Race to the Globe, perhaps winning the tournament and the big bucks.

Nobody became speaking approximately Lydia Ko in any respect.

The huge war by no means materialized. Both Lewis and Park struggled, despite the fact that Lewis did sufficient to win the money name, Vare Trophy, and POY Award. Those were those she stated have been maximum crucial to her, and she or he did make history by means of prevailing all three -- the first American to do so considering the fact that Betsy King way lower back in 1993.

Wie managed to get herself in position to win the tournament and the money however simply did not have sufficient juice to get it carried out. In truth, none of the Top9 who had the capability to take it all seemed capable of mount a charge...

All except the Kobra, that is. She now not best performed nicely sufficient to lock up the Globe, she sincerely had her attractions at the match victory as well. She, Julieta Granada (who had gained the vintage ADT Tour Championship with the $1mil first prize), and Carlota Ciganda (with out a LPGA victories but three on the LET) finished in a tie and went to a playoff.

Granada faltered on the second one playoff hole when her par putt barely slipped by way of, and Ciganda's nerves apparently got to her with a awful technique at the fourth playoff hollow. The Kobra, with the aid of comparison, positioned her tee shots in basically the identical spot whenever down... And the equal on her method shots. Her very last birdie putt stopped a trifling inch or two short of the cup, giving her the name and $1.5mil.

Only the Top3 points getters got bonus money. They have been:

1. Lydia Ko, with $1mil
2. Stacy Lewis, with $150k
3. Michelle Wie, with $100k

And Lydia set a number of records this season. Among them, she became the youngest Rookie of the Year in LPGA history. She also continues to rewrite the record books for the youngest multiple tournament winner ever on any tour. The PGA Tour's youngest one-time winner is 19 years old; the LPGA has one other ont-time winner at 18. Lydia has 5 LPGA wins and she's still just 17!

So now Lydia can head returned to New Zealand for a properly-deserved relaxation. But earlier than she goes, I wish she takes time to p.C. A Limerick Summary along side all her other prizes!

She?S something that golfing?S by no means seen

With five wins?But she?S now not but eighteen!

Though too younger for a beer,

Ko?S pinnacle rookie this year

Plus she ran off with all of the green! The photo came from this photo page at LPGA.com.