The LPGA Tour season concludes with the CME Group Tour Championship and the finale of the season-long Race to the CME Globe points chase. With the final putt of the season, the Race to the CME Globe winner earns $1 million in unofficial money, which marks the biggest single payout in women's golf.
But how does the Race to the CME Globe work?
How Race to the CME Globe works
The Race to the CME Globe is a season-long points race, akin to the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup or the PGA Tour Champions' Charles Schwab Cup. Points are awarded at every event, beginning in the season opener and through the final event before the CME Group Tour Championship.
Points are awarded in all official events. For events with a cut, any LPGA member making the cut gets a point. For events without a cut, LPGA members finishing in the top 40 and ties earn points. In the specific case of the Lorena Ochoa Match Play, players who advance to the Round of 32 or better earn points.
The winner of a non-major LPGA event earns 500 Race to CME Globe points. The winner of one of the LPGA's five majors -- the ANA Inspiration, KPMG Women's PGA Championship, US Women's Open, Women's British Open and The Evian Championship -- earn 625 points each.
It's important to note a few other caveats:
- Points for ties are not averaged. So, if three players finish tied for 10th place, points for 10th, 11th and 12th place are not averaged. Rather, the players all get points for a 10th place finish as though it were solo.
- Points are not awarded to non-LPGA members, so points those players would hypothetically get are positioned down and reallocated to members.
At the end of the final event before the CME Group Tour Championship, the top 72 players in the standings qualify for the season-ending event, as do non-members with one win on the season and members who have won who might not get in the top 72 for some reason. Ahead of the CME Group Tour Championship, all players have their points reset, with the leader starting the finale with 5,000 points, and going down the line. The top 12 players in the standings heading into the finale have a mathematical chance of winning the Race to the CME Globe with a win in the season-ending event. The top five players in the standings are positioned to win the Race to the CME Globe with a win in the CME Group Tour Championship.
The top three players in the final standings are paid from the $1.25 million bonus pool.
Race to the CME Globe bonus pool payouts
- $1,000,000
- $150,000
- $100,000
