Kerr wins title, Ko takes $1 million, Park going to Hall

World No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand stumbled late to leave South Korea’s Jang Ha-na atop the leaderboard after Friday’s second round of the LPGA Tour Championship.

Ko banked over one million dollars this season and captured the Rolex Player of the Year.

Kerr shot a 4-under 68 and finished at 17-under 271, one shot better than Gerina Piller and Ha Na Jang. I know she’s going to make a lot of putts. “I started to fizzle out a little during the middle of the round and I kept telling myself to believe in yourself and look what happened in the last six holes”, she said. 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 would be a really great way to finish the season, and knowing that I haven’t already got it wrapped up, it focuses the mind and I really want to play well this week”.

“I think good golf is just good golf”. That left the diminutive 23-year-old Ernst a stroke in front of South Korea’s Lee Mi-hyang, with twice major victor Cristie Kerr lurking among a group of six who opened with 68s. That includes the Race to the CME Globe, the tour’s season-long points race.

– Youngest golfer to win player of the year on a major tour.

The world No 1 stumbled with a double-bogey at the par-four 15th and a bogey on the par-thee 16th, but Ko recovered well to birdie the final two holes and remain within two shots of the leader.

The teenaged Ko holds the edge for the LPGA Player of the Year award and money list title, while Park has a slight edge in the chase for the coveted Vare Trophy for best scoring average. Kerr is looking for the 160th top-10, and 18th win of her LPGA career.

“I mean, it would be awesome”, Ko said.

“I said the Hall of Fame will be my last goal, but it really came early and I achieved pretty much everything I set so far in my career”, Park said.

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. Andrew Evans shot 70 and was in second place, followed by four players tied for third, two strokes behind: Peter Senior (68), Michael Sim (68), John Senden (71) and Matthew Guyatt (73). Park shot 69 to finish in sixth, while Ko shot 72 for a tie for seventh.