Lydia Ko suggests what she finds ‘unbelievable’ about the CME Group Tour Championship

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It says everything about how amazing a season Lydia Ko has had that there seemed to even be a debate over whether she may overtake Nelly Korda as the player of the year should she win the CME Group Tour Championship.

Of course, Lydia Ko has been in superb form in the second-half of the season. The New Zealander won the Women’s Open at St Andrews for a third major title, while she also triumphed at the Olympic Games at Le Golf National.

While Nelly Korda‘s seven victories – including one major – is rightly seeing the world number one receive all kinds of plaudits, Ko has given her a good run for her money. And a win at Tiburon Golf Club would certainly spark a discussion on how close the 27-year-old had pushed Korda.

Not only is the CME Group Tour Championship significant for being the season finale, but it is also the event with one of the biggest purses of the season, with $11 million set to be handed out. The winner will receive $4 million.

Lydia Ko shares what she finds ‘unbelievable’ ahead of the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship

Ko – who has won the event twice previously – has a huge task on her hands if she is going to triumph this week, as she sits seven shots off the lead with one round to go. But after her third round, she spoke about what a game-changer the event has proved to be in the women’s game.

“Obviously what Terry [Duffy] has done to give this kind of opportunity and the biggest purse that women’s golfers are playing for is unbelievable,” she said, when asked about some of the financially significant wins from her career.

“He keeps breaking his own record and just keeps going up there. I’m excited to see how far women’s golf is going to go and I think I we deserve that. Not only in my generation, but for the future generations that are out here watching us play.

“But, yeah, I think the coolest moment was when I guess there was that $1 million in that glass box. I remember taking a photo of it, sitting on it. That was a really cool moment.

“It’s hard, right? You can’t really put it into perspective like what that means because where you spend it and what you do with it, it’s sometimes a million dollars is just a number.

“And I think for all of us, as much as it’s great to have these kind of opportunities the person that’s going to win is more excited that they just won the Tour Championship than exactly to the dollar of how much they won.

“But Terry has just been an unbelievable supporter, and I think because of him, like our major championships and other domestic events have just kept elevating and increasing the purses.

“To see that and the growth in the 11 years that I’ve played, it’s been really, really cool. You know, I get to play alongside the best female golfers every week and I think we deserve it. They deserve it.”

Where the CME Group Tour Championship ranks amongst the biggest purses on the LPGA

Unsurprisingly, a couple of the major championships boast bigger purses. But the CME Group Tour Championship is, by some distance, one of the most lucrative events on the LPGA. And the prize for the winner has doubled since last year alone.

The LPGA has been criticised for not capitalising on the potential the tour now has. Nelly Korda is one of the biggest stars in all of women’s sport right now, while Caitlin Clark brought all kinds of attention when she teed it up in the Pro-Am at The ANNIKA.

And the backing of sponsors like CME Group is clearly presenting the LPGA with a huge opportunity. The onus is now most definitely on the tour to make the most of their potential.