For those who complain about the lower pay for women professional golfers — that goes away come Sunday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda, winner of last week’s Pelican Championship, heads a field of 60 players who will be chasing a $2 million payout to the winner of the CME Tour Championship come Sunday.
Former world No. 1 Jin Young Ko has been a dominant force in this championship — the South Korean star has won back-to-back in Naples. Last year she won despite a bothersome wrist injury and this year, that injury has lingered an taken a toll on Ko.
She’s fallen out of the No. 1 spot in the world and has tumbled to No. 4. Earlier this week, she gave an update on her wrist problem.
“It’s ok, but not good,” was Ko’s response. She added that her wrist hurts on every shot and feels worse this year than it did this time last year.
Last month she played in the BMW Ladies Championship in her home country of South Korea. She shot 80 in the first round then 79 on day two. She withdrew after that.
She showed up last week at the Pelican Championship but missed the cut.
So why is she still playing?
“I just want to know what problems are in my game right now,” she explained. “I was debating whether I should go back to the States or not to play the last two tournaments until I got on the plane. Even though I am having a hard time right now, the two events will make me stronger. I have to feel something from this pain and my difficult situation.
“It’s the first time I’ve had such a difficult situation in my life, but I think I need times like this because I need to think for myself.”
She has the wrist taped and said she will “tough it out.” She will be limiting her practice just as she did last year, and will not be hitting balls on the range.
Ko is a long-shot to contend this week and given the talent level of the field, it’s understandable.
Korda comes in off her win and last week’s runner-up, Lexi Thompson, has found Tiburon to her liking. Putting remains Thompson’s Achilles Heel — she ranks 96th on the ladies tour in that category.
Atthaya Thitikul, who went from No. 1 to No. 2, should be a major factor along with Lydia Ko, Minjee Lee and Brooke Henderson.
First Round Tee Times, Pairings:
Broadcast Schedule:
Thursday, Friday: The Golf Channel; 3 p.m.- 5 p.m. (ET).
Saturday: The Golf Channel; 4 p.m.- 7 p.m. (ET), tape delay.
Sunday: NBC; 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (ET).
