Nelly korda can change perception of her year in one tournament at LPGA.
APLES, Florida — The CME Group Tour Championship is about far more than a trophy this week. With a staggering $11 million purse, the season ending event offers the richest payday in women’s golf, including a record $4 million winner’s check — more than any player earned across the LPGA’s first 30 tournaments combined.
While the money is historic, the spotlight is firmly on Nelly Korda and what this tournament could mean for how her year is remembered.
Korda enters the finale without a victory in 2025, a sharp contrast to last season when she dominated the tour with seven wins and established herself as the clear face of women’s golf. If she finishes winless, she would become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2010 to follow a seven-win season with none the following year.
Despite that drought, Korda insists her game has not been far off. Speaking at Tiburón Golf Club, she described the season as a mix of highs and head-scratching moments something she views as part of the sport’s reality, especially after such an exceptional year in 2024.
She came close several times, finishing runner-up in both the season opener and the U.S. Women’s Open. Statistically, little has changed: her scoring average of 69.58 is virtually identical to last year’s mark. Perhaps most encouraging for her, she stayed largely healthy throughout the season, avoiding the long injury layoffs that have plagued her in recent years.
While she admits it’s frustrating not to have lifted a trophy yet, Korda remains upbeat. With one tournament left, she believes everything is still possible — and one win could completely reshape the narrative around her season.
Beyond Korda, the LPGA finale also sets the stage for a compelling Player of the Year battle. Jeeno Thitikul, now world No. 1, and Miyu Yamashita are the only players with multiple wins this season. Yamashita, who claimed the Women’s British Open and already secured Rookie of the Year honors, could make history by winning both awards outright a feat last achieved by Nancy Lopez in 1978.
Minjee Lee currently leads the season money list thanks largely to her major championship success, but the Tour Championship offers a clean slate. All 60 qualifiers have the same opportunity: win once, and claim the biggest prize in women’s golf.
Among them is one of the season’s most remarkable stories, England’s Lottie Woad. Just months removed from college golf at Florida State, Woad won as an amateur, turned professional, and quickly climbed into the world’s top 10. Now, she arrives in Naples with a chance at $4 million — even if she’s still working on getting.
