Jeeno Thitikul crowns spectacular season with US$4mil payday at CME Group Tour Championship, earns LPGA Tour’s Rolex Player of the Year award

NAPLES, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 23: Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is presented with the CME Group trophy and jacket after her win during the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship 2025 at Tiburon Golf Club on Sunday, November 23, 2025, in Naples, Florida. -- Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images via LPGA

NAPLES, Florida, US: Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul crowned a spectacular season by winning the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship for the second year in a row at Tiburon Golf Club on Sunday.

Shrugging off a sore left wrist, the Thai ace carded rounds of 67, 63, 64 and 68 for a total of 26-under-par 262 at the US$11 million season-ender, finishing four shots ahead of compatriot Pajaree Anannarukarn (71-64-65-66). American Nelly Korda, the World No. 2, was third on 20-under-par 268 (68-67-65-68).

By defending her title, Thitikul chalked up her third victory of the 2025 season and seventh career LPGA title.

The US$4 million winner’s cheque made her the fastest player to reach US$17 million in career earnings. This is the first time that the 22-year-old has won three times in a season on the LPGA Tour (she won twice in her rookie season in 2022).

Thitikul is the second Thai player to win the CME Group Tour Championship, following Ariya Jutanugarn (2017), and the third player to win the season-ender multiple times, joining New Zealand legend Lydia Ko (2014 and 2022) and Korean Jin Young Ko (2020 and 2021).

Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand with the CME Group trophy as she speaks to the media after her win during the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship 2025 at Tiburon Golf Club on November 23, 2025, in Naples, Florida.- Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images via AFP)

With the victory, Thitikul secured the LPGA Tour’s 2025 Rolex Player of the Year award and the Vare Trophy for low scoring average. Her scoring average of 68.681 set a new LPGA Tour single-season record, surpassing Annika Sorenstam’s 2002 average of 68.696.

Going into the final event of the season, the Rolex Player of the Year race came down to Thitikul and 2025 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Miyu Yamashita of Japan. Trailing Thitikul by 16 points, Maybank Championship 2025 winner Yamashita needed to win the CME Group Tour Championship but finished tied for 36th.

Thitikul is the second player from Thailand to win the Rolex Player of the Year award since it was introduced in 1966, following Jutanugarn, who won in 2016 and 2018.

“I think it's just an honour. The Vare Trophy and Player of the Year are always going to represent how consistent you are in the whole long season. Holding that trophy, I just feel goosebumps because it has all the history about golf from all the players,” said Thitikul.

The victory at this tournament not only assured her winning LPGA Player of the Year but also the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, the two biggest awards in women’s golf. -- LPGA