Kerr wins final event, Ko claims $1 million jackpot

That left the stage to the players at the top of the leaderboard, with 38-year-old Kerr sinking a 15-foot eagle putt at 17 to seize a one-stroke lead but Jang made birdie to stay within one shot entering the final hole. Jang, who finished tied for second with Ko in the season-opening Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Fla., leads on 10-under 134 after a second-round 65.

Ko also came into the season finale in the lead in the Race to the CME Globe points race, so a win on Sunday would come with a $500,000 check for the tournament and a $1 million bonus for winning the points race.

It has been another year of success for golf’s golden girl with Ko winning five times on the LPGA Tour, becoming the youngest to 10 wins, rising to number one in the world and becoming the youngest ever to win a Major Championship.

After a bogey on the third hole and a birdie on the fifth, Ko recorded 11 consecutive pars before a birdie on the 17th hole.

“What triggered it more is what a tough day it was”, she said. Thompson was third, taking home $US100,000 ($A138,000) in bonus money – though spent much of the afternoon in position to sweep both the $US500,000 first prize and the $1 million bonus. Â ” All we can do is just think of them, pray for them and thats it. Its really sad, but unfortunately I think its only the beginning and its really scary.

Park won the Vare Trophy for having the lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour. Lexi Thompson (68) was 14 under.

“I feel fresh and kind of ready to perform”, Kerr said.

Ko leads South Korea’s Inbee Park in three of these four categories, the Vare Trophy being the exception, but Park is only two strokes behind Ko, and four from the lead, with a victory in Naples giving her the jackpot prize, so Ko was not planning any victory speeches just yet. It went in and I was like, this was the first bit of momentum I’ve had nearly all day.

High Performance Manager at New Zealand Golf, Gregg Thorpe commented on Ko’s win with a beaming smile. “Anything fun to get me going”, Ko said….

With the win, that is Kerr’s eighteenth career LPGA title in her career and her second win this year.

“If it did really come down to that four-footer lipping out, I think it would have been – even though it’s been an awesome season – I definitely would have felt disappointed, especially with the whole team here rooting for me”, she said”.

American amateur Bryson DeChambeau, the former SMU player who the NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles this year, shot a 67 to tie for second with Australians John Senden (70) and Andrew Evans (71).