Nasa Hataoka, Alison Lee Finish in Tie for Second at CME Group Tour Championship | LPGA

In Naples, Florida, Nasa Hataoka and Alison Lee finished in a tie for second at 24-under at the CME Group Tour Championship, trailing champion Amy Yang by three shots at Tiburón Golf Club. Hataoka fought hard to capture her seventh career LPGA Tour victory, holding the solo lead multiple times during the final round, but a bogey on the par-3 16th hole dashed her chances of claiming the $2 million winner’s check.

Despite the disappointment of not winning, Hataoka achieved her best result of the 2023 LPGA Tour season with the T2 finish. She scored all four rounds in the 60s for the first time since the 2022 FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf. The 24-year-old’s first-round 63 tied her second-lowest career round on the LPGA Tour, which she last shot on day two of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G.

The tie for second also marked Hataoka’s seventh top-10 finish of the season and fourth top five, as well as her second runner-up finish at the CME Group Tour Championship. She acknowledged her satisfaction with the season’s consistency but expressed her ambition to win, emphasizing the importance of victory.

Lee’s final round at the championship ended with a strong 6-under 66, marking her ninth consecutive round in the 60s. With the $445,000 check she earned, Lee surpassed the $1 million mark in season earnings for the first time since joining the LPGA Tour in 2015. Her tie for second is now her career-best result at Tiburón Golf Club, capping off a successful year.

Reflecting on her performance, Lee expressed pride in pushing through exhaustion and rising to the challenge in recent events, despite initially feeling out of gas. She admitted that, while coming second three times was disappointing, the experience has been incredible, and she’s grateful for the journey.

“So many times I would joke around saying I’m just never going to win out here. I really didn’t think I could ever do it. But to play the last three weeks just continuously putting the pressure on everyone on the leaderboard and putting myself in contention has just been really cool for me and been a really awesome experience. It sucks to come second place three times, but I’ve enjoyed every second of it and it’s been amazing.”