FLORIDA — World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul secured her second straight season-ending LPGA Tour Championship, fending off fellow Thai Pajaree Anannarukarn to claim the $4 million top prize.
Jeeno carded a four-under-par 68 to complete 72 holes at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, finishing four strokes clear of Pajaree.
She joins South Korea’s Ko Jin-young, the only other player to successfully defend the Tour Championship crown in 2020 and 2021.
Jeeno began with a six-stroke lead, saw it shrink to only two but recovered to win the $11 million event and secure the LPGA Player of the Year award and Vare Trophy for season low-scoring average.
The 22-year-old Asian star made a birdie-bogey start but added a birdie at the par-five sixth hole, AFP reported.
Pajaree, the last qualifier into the field of 60, charged into the hunt by making birdies on the first three holes and then the sixth and seventh.
Jeeno began the back nine with a birdie to stretch her lead, which grew to five strokes after Pajaree made bogey at the par-three 12th and Jeeno birdied the 13th to reach 25-under.
Pajaree birdied the par-three 16th and par-five 17th before a closing par to shoot 66 while Jeeno birdied the 18th from eight feet to complete the triumph.
Sami Valimaki, meanwhile, wrapped up the PGA Tour season by becoming the first player from Finland to win a tour event at the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, in Georgia.
The solo third-round leader, Valimaki birdied the par-5 15th hole at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course to break a tie with Max McGreevy.
Valimaki proceeded to par his way home and sign for a 66, a four-round score.
Not only did the win secure Valimaki a two-year exemption on tour, it catapulted him 23 spots to No 51 in the FedEx Cup Fall points standings.
That was also reason to smile for McGreevy, whose surge into second place was projected to push him to No 60 in the standings.
Ricky Castillo did McGreevy one better by firing a final-round 62, rocketing him to third at 21 under. However, he was projected to finish the points race No 102, just outside the top 100 who are guaranteed to retain full tour status for next season.
Colombia’s Nico Echavarria fired a 65 to get to 19 under, and his tie for fourth with Lee Hodges and South Korean Si woo Kim boosted Echavarria in points, entering him into those first two signature events.
Elsewhere, Casey Jarvis claimed his second victory in three weeks on the Sunshine Tour when he won the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final in arguably the most thrilling finish on the Sunshine Tour this season.
Jarvis signed for a final round of 65 to finish regulation play tied for the lead with Barend Botha, who carded a 64, on 24 under par.
Both golfers had already thrown everything at each other over the closing holes of their final rounds as they each made twos on the par-four 17th and then both birdied the 18th hole.
The drama continued in the playoff as they each birdied the par-five 18th twice to remain locked in a battle for the title. But Jarvis eventually made the breakthrough when he eagled the third playoff hole against Botha’s birdie.
The victory comes shortly after Jarvis’ win in The Hyundai Open in early November. He moves into eighth place on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit.
