Ariya Jutanugarn clinches LPGA Tour’s player of the year

Ariya Jutanugarn was unable to accept the CME Globe trophy when it was first being presented to her, needing both hands to hold a big plastic cube stuffed with $1 million in cash.

That’s a great way to end a season.

Jutanugarn’s breakout year ended with a haul of prizes Sunday at the CME Group Tour Championship — the LPGA Tour’s player of the year award, the money title and the season-long Race to CME Globe points competition that comes with a $1 million bonus.

A winner of five tournaments in a year that started slowly with a major meltdown in the California desert and turned around with her winning three consecutive starts in May, Jutanugarn held off Lydia Ko for all three of those trophies.

“I never expected like that much,” Jutanugarn said. “I just really wanted to win my first tournament this year.”

In Gee Chun made a 10-footer for birdie on the final hole to win the scoring title by the slimmest of margins, making her the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win both the Vare Trophy and rookie of the year in the same season. If Chun’s final putt had not fallen, Ko would have won the Vare for the first time.

“It’s still been a very cool season for me,” said Ko, the world’s No. 1 player, who wrapped Jutanugarn in a big hug when their rounds were complete before heading off to sign dozens of autographs.

Combined, Ko and Chun took more than 11,500 swings over 166 rounds — and the scoring title came down to one putt.

“It was big pressure for me,” Chun said. “I just tried to enjoy my last putt. It was a big honor for me, to have my name next to legends.”

Add her to the list of young stars on the LPGA Tour. She’s 22, Jutanugarn turns 21 later this week and Ko doesn’t even turn 20 until early next year.

Add Charley Hull to that list as well. She’s a tournament winner now.

Another 20-year-old, Hull looked like a savvy veteran as she stalked what would become her first win. Hull finished two shots ahead of So Yeon Ryu, that margin coming after they had a two-shot swing at the 17th. Ryu’s approach came to rest along a 3-foot face of a bunker, forcing her to play off to the side and wind up settling for bogey.

Hull made birdie there, then coolly two-putted on the 18th to prevail. She shot 66-66 in a bogey-free weekend, with 12 birdies and 24 pars in her final 36 holes of the season.

“I was pretty calm,” Hull said. “I went on the golf course and tried not to think about golf.”

Hull finished at 19-under 269. So Yeon Ryu (67) was second, Jennifer Song (68) followed at 15 under, and Jutanugarn (69) was 14 under with Mo Martin (68) and Beatriz Recari (68). Chun (70) was seventh at 13 under.

RSM Classic will finish Monday with four-man playoff

Hughes Mackenzie was the third player to have a putt to win the RSM Classic. He missed and four players will have to return in the morning to finish the playoff.

The final PGA Tour event of the year had to go one more day when a sudden-death playoff that began with five players lasted only two holes before it was too dark to continue at Sea Island.

The odd man odd was Billy Horschel, the highest-ranked player of the group. Horschel missed his birdie attempt by a fraction of an inch on the 18th hole in the playoff. Then he missed a routine, two-foot putt to stay in the game.

MacKenzie, Blayne Barber, Camilo Villegas and Henrik Norlander had to return Monday morning. The winner gets in the Masters.

Stenson clinches Race for Dubai title

Henrik Stenson won the Race to Dubai title for the second time in four years on Sunday, and Matthew Fitzpatrick claimed the biggest victory of his short career at the World Tour Championship.

Fourth-ranked Stenson shot a seven-under 65 in the final round in Dubai to stay ahead of his rivals in the year-long race. The Swede earned a bonus of $1.25 million as the European Tour’s top player.

The 40-year-old Stenson, who also won the Race to Dubai in 2013, ended Sunday at 12-under 276 in a four-way tie for ninth, which included Rory McIlroy (65).

Stenson’s closest rival in the race this year, Masters champion Danny Willett, remained second after finishing tied for 50th in the tournament.

Fitzpatrick, who earned his card exactly two years ago, shot a final-round 67 to finish at 17-under 271. The 22-year-old Englishman finished one ahead of compatriot Tyrrell Hatton (68), who had a bogey on the final hole. South African Charl Schwartzel (67) was two shots further behind in third.