Kasidit and his father Prasert 

The 27-year-old from Prachinburi province, despite a finishing bogey, emerged winner on the par-70 7,218-yard landscape after his close rival, Pavit Tangkamolprasert, suffered successive bogeys in the last three holes. Kasidit had earlier signed off with a 66 and a four-day total of 11-under-par 269.

“I started the day with two birdies which really got me the momentum. I was feeling more confident and hoped to catch up with the leaders,” added Kasidit, who celebrated his second title of the season. The previous one was at the Thai PGA Golf Tour in Phetchaburi province in May.

“I played many events before coming here and I didn’t really expect this. I just played my game, trying to hit on the greens and hoping to make some putts. I’m happy to finally win on the All Thailand Tour,” added Kasidit, who earned the winner’s prize money of Bt450,000.

“I was prepared for a play-off but it was a suprise that Pavit made a bogey on the last hole. I played with him for a couple of days and he putted so well,” said Kasidit, the 2014 Asian Games and 2015 SEA Games player. He also dedicated this win for his father Prasert Lepkurte for mental support.

“I also have to thank my father ) for always being there for me no matter what. He never stops believing in me. He takes care of everything for me as if he is my manager,” added Kasidit, whose only international win was at the 2017 ADT PGM MIDF Championship in Malaysia.

Former Asian Tour winner Pavit, with a final-round 69, had to settle one shot behind for tied second on 270 with Raththee Sirithanakul and Poonnavich Hirayama, who had finals rounds of 65 and 67 respectively.

The next and final ATGT event, the Bt4-million BG Bangkok Open, is due from October 17-20 at Watermill Golf and Resort in Nakhon Nayok.

Osaka, whose mother is Japanese and father is Haitian, was born in Japan but moved with her family to New York when she was 3. Under Japan’s Nationality Act, those who hold dual citizenship must choose one before their 22nd birthday. Osaka turns 22 on Wednesday.

She told Japanese broadcaster NHK it was a “special desire” to represent the country of her birth at an Olympics in Japan. “It is a special feeling to aim for the Olympics as a representative of Japan,” she told NHK. “I think that playing with the pride of the country will make me feel more emotional.”

Osaka, whose victory in the 2019 Australian Open was her second in a Grand Slam tournament, represents Japan on the WTA Tour and in the Fed Cup. “I’m kind of looking forward to everything like the opening ceremony,” she told the Olympic Channel. “It’s also a very big honor to even be participating.”

Osaka beat Ash Barty, the top-ranked player in the world, in the final of the China Open in Beijing, a victory that, along with her win in the Pan Pacific Open in Japan, helped her climb back to No 3 in the rankings. Although Osaka has found plenty of endorsement opportunities from Japanese companies, her decision is not linked to money, her mother said.

“We made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age,” Tamaki Osaka told the Wall Street Journal a year ago. “She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture. Quite simply, Naomi and her sister Mari have always felt Japanese, so that was our only rationale. It was never a financially motivated decision nor were we ever swayed either way by any national federation.”

Osaka has faced prejudice in Japan, where there have been bullying incidents involving haafu or half-Japanese people. She recently was declared to be “too sunburned” by two Japanese comedians who said she “needed some bleach”. Osaka’s response was to tout one of her sponsors, the Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido.

Last winter, the Japanese noodle company Nissin acknowledged “whitewashing” Osaka in an ad that was taken down after a public outcry.

Dorna Sports is delighted to announce that MotoGP™️ will be returning to Brazil from 2022, with a five-year contract with Rio Motorsports (RMS) securing the sport’s return to Rio de Janeiro until 2026. The all-new Rio Motorpark, set for construction in Deodoro, will host the Grand Prix, which is back in Rio after 15 years.

Brazil, and Rio de Janeiro, have already staged some incredible chapters in the history of the sport, most recently in 2004 at Jacarepaguá, which had hosted MotoGP™ since 1995. The development of a new venue to replace Jacarepaguá, which was repurposed as an Olympic Park, makes for an exciting prospect for both the sport and the city.

Rio Motorpark is forecast for completion in 2021 and features a 4.5km layout of seven left- and six right-handed corners, with an approximate MotoGP™ laptime of 1 minute 38 seconds.

Marcelo Crivella, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro: “The news that we already have a first competition for Rio’s new racetrack, MotoGP, confirmed for 2022, represents a great advance for our city. The construction of the Deodoro racetrack is a spectacular project, with an extraordinary investment that will generate 7,000 jobs and make Rio regain the leading role in major competitions. We will take development to a region of the city with many needs, which is the West Zone, and stimulate tourism. All this without the City putting a penny into the project, since the whole investment will be the responsibility of the concessionaire.”

JR Pereira, CEO of Rio Motorsports: “Dorna was an extremely loyal partner in every conversation we had. Now that we have completed the local environmental impact studies and the commission that will look into the matter is in place, following the regulatory policies of INEA (Rio de Janeiro State Environment Agency), it has been possible to formalize an agreement that has been built for over two years. We are very grateful to Carmelo and his team that we can realize the dream of bringing MotoGP back to Rio.”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “I’m very proud to announce that MotoGP will be returning to race in Rio de Janeiro, one of the world’s truly iconic cities and in such an amazing country. Brazil is an important market for motorcycles, motorcycle racing and motorsport, with a history to be proud of – and a future that I’m excited to see MotoGP play such a vital part as we return in 2022.”

The association affirmed that it fully believes in her integrity after the panel determined that no provisional suspension would be imposed on Ratchanok, given the likelihood that her anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was as a result of contaminated meat.

She remains free to compete in all tournaments.

Ratchanok was found to bear “no fault or negligence” for the clenbuterol found in her system in an out-of-competition urine test last April 18. She demonstrated that a small amount of the drug could have contaminated some meat she had eaten.

“We are thankful this matter has been completed and that the truth has been proven,” association president Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul said in response to a world federation press release issued on Thursday (October 10).

“We know Ratchanok and we have absolutely no doubt that she bears no fault in this situation. She has proven to the panel how this happened and we hired an expert lawyer from Switzerland to represent her and help prove her contention. We got meat samples tested from restaurants where she ate.”

Patama stressed that the case nevertheless again highlights the need for athletes and their entourages to pay more attention to regulations regarding doping and other integrity-related matters.

“This is an extremely serious part of being a professional athlete,” she said. “Players must ensure they know the rules and realise how easily, and unintentionally, they can violate those rules if they are not careful. They cannot take these chances with their careers. They must monitor what and where they eat and drink.”

The association hosts “seminars for players, coaches and other members of the entourage every year”, she said. “Education on doping is very important.”

The hearing panel decided that Ratchanok was able “to demonstrate that her adverse analytical finding was related to the ingestion of meat contaminated with clenbuterol” and that, at any rate, “the estimated concentration of clenbuterol in her sample was below the minimum required performance limit” and therefore could have resulted from food contamination.

It noted that Ratchanok’s urine test in April was negative, whereas “in cases of clenbuterol abuse for doping purposes, the drug has to be administered daily over a long-term period to be consistent with anabolic properties. The negative urine test does not support repetitive use of clenbuterol.”

Ratchanok believes she must have eaten the contaminated meat between April 4 and 18, likely as part of a barbecue buffet. Meat samples tested from some of the places she identified tested positive for clenbuterol.

The Qualifying School, which comprises of two stages – the First Qualifying Stage and the Final Qualifying Stage, will be held at the Lake View Resort & Golf Club (Course A, B, C and D) in Hua Hin, Thailand.

The First Qualifying Stage will be played over two different weeks. Players have the option of entering the First Qualifying Stage on the week commencing January 8, or the week commencing February 12.

The top-placed players from the First Qualifying Stage will progress to the Final Qualifying Stage, which will be played over five rounds from February 19 to 23. The top 70 players (and ties) after 72 holes will play in the pivotal final round, which will be held on February 23.

At the conclusion of 90 holes, the top 35 (and ties) will be ranked accordingly for the 2020 season. Players who compete in the 2020 Qualifying School will also be eligible to play on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), which is the secondary circuit of the Asian Tour.

Asian Tour Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Cho Minn Thant is confident the 2020 Qualifying School will be another success as hopefuls aim to emulate the success of Thai duo Sadom Kaewkanjana and Kosuke Hamamoto on Tour this season.

Sadom became the fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on Tour when he won on his first professional start on Tour at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open earlier in April. Kosuke, on the other hand, retained his card for the 2020 season after just five starts this season.

“The Asian Tour has unearthed many promising talents through the Qualifying School over the years. Our recent champion Yikeun Chang of Korea is also one of them. He had topped the class in 2016 prior to his breakthrough in Chinese Taipei last month.”

“Qualifying School is a grueling process but it gives players, both professionals and amateurs, the opportunity to earn their place on the Asian Tour in 2020. The competition is going to be intense but the rewards will be massive for successful entrants,” said Cho.

Last year, Thailand’s Naras Luangphetcharaporn recorded the first ever 59 on the Asian Tour en route to securing his Tour card for the 2019 season. The 26-year-old ended his campaign in tied-21st place and was one of the 41 players, who finished inside top 35 and ties, to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour this season.

2018 Qualifying School graduate Viraj Madappa became the youngest Indian winner on Tour when he won the TAKE Solutions Masters on home soil in his rookie season last year, at the age of 20.

American Kurt Kitayama, who also came through the 2018 Qualifying School, rose through the ranks after breaking through in Mauritius last December. The talented 26-year-old would go on to secure his maiden win on the European Tour earlier in March.

Other successful graduates include Australian Zach Murray, who won the 2019 New Zealand Open in what was his third start on Tour this season, as well as John Catlin of the United States,  who marked his name in the Asian Tour history books by becoming the 10th golfer in Tour history to win three times in a single season last year.

For 2020 Qualifying School Information and application forms, please click here.

For Qualifying School enquiries, please contact Q-School2020@asiantour.com.

And if the golfing gods remain kind to him, the 23-year-old could see himself taking on the likes of 81-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as well in Japan’s first official PGA TOUR tournament, the Zozo Championship.

Two wins and 10 other top-10s on the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour have earned the prodigious talent the opportunity to go head-to-head with stars from the PGA TOUR, and with ambitions to compete regularly  on the world’s premier Tour, Jazz knows The CJ Cup and WGC-HSBC Champions offer him a great chance to assess his standing against the world’s best.

“I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks. Getting into two, maybe three, of the PGA TOUR’s biggest tournaments in Asia is a great opportunity to continue to test my game at the highest level,” said Jazz.

“All three tournaments will have really strong fields and I’m keen to play my best golf and see where it leads me. It’s been a really good year with the two wins on the Asian Tour and other top finishes both in Asia and Japan and I feel my game has continued to develop in the right direction.”

The young Thai has been one of the revelations this season with wins at the SMBC Singapore Open in January, where he beat a field which included Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, and Kolon Korea Open in June. He has also been impressively consistent, achieving multiple top-10s on both the Japan Golf Tour and Asian Tour, where he currently leads the money list race, and has also risen to 57^th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

In May, Jazz came to global prominence at the PGA Championship where he entered the final round in T2 before closing with a 77 to settle for T14. Such impressive form helped the Thai finish two rungs outside the top-8 to qualify for the International Team to face the United States Team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia in December. He is hoping to keep his name in conversations when Captain Ernie Els names his four picks in early November to round up his 12-man squad.

“I’m not sure where I stand with the Presidents Cup as I know Captain Ernie will make his four picks after HSBC,” said Jazz, who finished top-5 for the second straight week in Japan on Sunday.

“All I hope to do is to continue playing some good golf, put in a few top finishes and hopefully be part of the conversation when Ernie and his assistants decide on the remaining players. Of course it’ll be a great honour to be picked but if I don’t, I’m still going to support the International Team to beat the U.S,” added Jazz, who is hoping to become the second Thai after Thongchai Jaidee to feature in the biennial team competition.

First up next week for Jazz is his debut appearance at The CJ CUP, which will be headlined by world No. 1 and defending champion Brooks Koepka. Being the reigning Korea Open champion, Jazz hopes to draw some new fan support as he attempts to maintain his rich vein of form in the Land of Morning Calm.

“It’ll be fun to play in Korea at The CJ CUP as I won the Korean Open, so hopefully my new Korean fans will come out to support me in Jeju. And then I’m hoping to get into the Zozo Championship through the Japan Tour money list (he’s top-3 currently with the top-4 after this week qualifying for the new event) and it’s always an additional thrill when you have Tiger in the field.

“It’ll then be a nice way to finish the Asian Swing with my first ever appearance in the World Golf Championships at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. We’ll have the top golfers gathering from all the international tours and I’m looking forward to it.”

The three PGA TOUR tournaments in Asia this month offer nearly US$30 million in total prize money and feature 78-man fields with no halfway cut. With FedExCup points on offer as well, players like Jazz can gain points as a Non-Member to enhance his bid to earn playing rights on the PGA TOUR.

Jazz and Hend, ranked first and second respectively on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, will be joined by South African Jbe Kruger and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura at the highly rated Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai from October 31 to November 3.

The quartet qualified for the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions by virtue of being the leading four members, not otherwise exempt, with the best aggregate prize money earned from Asian Tour prize money counting events.

The qualifying period, which commenced at the conclusion of the 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions, will conclude on October 21 and the Mercuries Taiwan Masters is the Tour’s last qualifying event for the prestigious tournament prior to the cut-off date.

“I came to Chinese Taipei for a reason and that was to complete a full-field event for my qualification for the WGC-HSBC Champions. Last week has shown me what I need to work on for my game and hopefully, I can improve on that and bring back my A game soon.

“I’m looking forward to playing in another WGC event in Shanghai at the end of the month. Sheshan is a great golf course and I look forward to playing well there,” said the 46-year-old Hend, who claimed his 10th Asian Tour title at the Maybank Championship earlier in March.

Jazz, who will be making his WGC debut in Shanghai, also secured a coveted spot at the CJ Cup next week by being the leading player on the Asian Tour money list following the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. Taehee Lee also earned his berth in the PGA TOUR event by being the top Korean in fourth place on the Merit rankings.

Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai broke into top-10 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit thanks to his breakthrough win at the storied Mercuries Taiwan Masters. The 20-year-old was sitting outside top-80 at the start of September but back-to-back top-10 finishes in Chinese Taipei and India pushed him inside the top-60 at the middle of the month.

Despite missing the halfway cut at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea, Suradit capped a commendable tied-18th place result at the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship in Japan before securing his maiden Asian Tour victory in Chinese Taipei to propel to a career-best eighth position on the Order of Merit.

The 2019 Asian Tour season will resume at the Thailand Open, which will be held once again at the Thai Country Club from November 7 to 10. The US$300,000 event, won by Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat last year, will also mark the start of the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing series.

Ends.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos       Player   Order of Merit (US$)

1. Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $833,524.71

2. Scott HEND (AUS) $535,810.94

3. Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $300,957.19

4. Taehee LEE (KOR) $284,661.95

5. Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $260,100.96

6. Jbe KRUGER (RSA) $257,289.40

7. Scott VINCENT (ZIM) $251,643.84

8. Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) $232,108.48

9. Zach MURRAY (AUS) $221,011.92

10. Yikeun CHANG (KOR) $200,613.01

11. Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $187,218.98

12. Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $177,288.30

13. Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $167,502.45

14. Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $157,171.95

15. Miguel TABUENA (PHI) $146,506.05

16. Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) $146,072.93

17. David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

18. Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) $135,043.46

19. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $134,636.86

20. Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $126,796.53

This 8 November at the Mall of Asia Arena, ONE: MASTERS OF FATE will see the world’s best martial arts talent take the ONE Championship ring to showcase their skills. In the main event, reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines will defend his title against countryman Rene “The Challenger” Catalan.

Team Lakay’s Pacio returns to action to defend his ONE Strawweight World Championship against fellow Filipino martial artist Catalan.

The 23-year-old from Baguio City captured the strawweight belt with a unanimous decision victory over Japanese veteran Yoshitaka Naito in September of 2018, but surrendered the title to another Japanese warrior in former Shooto champion Yosuke Saruta in his first defense. Months later, Pacio avenged that defeat by knocking Saruta out with a head kick to regain ONE Championship gold. Now, Pacio is looking to make the first defense of his second strawweight title reign against Catalan.

Catalan, on the other hand, is currently the hottest strawweight in the division who is riding an impressive six-bout win streak. The Philippine Wushu Champion and veteran martial artist stopped former champion Naito in the first round of his most recent outing, earning him a shot at the ONE Strawweight World Championship. Catalan now faces Pacio in a highly-anticipated all-Filipino showdown for the strawweight throne.

Former two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines is on the comeback trail. He is scheduled to face MGL-1 FC Lightweight Champion Amarsanaa “Spear” Tsogookhuu of Mongolia in the evening’s co-main event. The veteran member of Team Lakay will have to deal with Tsogookhuu’s uncharted power, as the Mongolian boasts of a solid knockout ratio featuring three stoppages out of five victories.

In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai bantamweight contest in 4-ounce gloves, Sangmanee “The Million Dollar Baby” Sathian MuayThai of Bangkok, Thailand takes on Azize “The Magician” Hlali of France. Despite being just 22 years old, Sangmanee has already achieved multiple honors in the sport including seven Muay Thai World Championships. He is a well-respected competitor in his home country and has defeated some of Muay Thai’s biggest names. Hlali, who trains out of Venum Training Camp, is a two-time Muay Thai World Champion.

Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio of the Philippines and CWFC Bantamweight World Champion Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Finland will run it back in a highly-anticipated rematch. In their first encounter back in 2016, Tauru submitted Eustaquio via first round rear-naked choke. Since then, Eustaquio has gone on to capture the flyweight belt twice. Now he faces Tauru once again this time at flyweight.

ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand continues her quest for a mixed martial arts world title when she faces top women’s atomweight Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen of Vietnam and the United States. The 21-year-old Stamp recently impressed in her return to the Circle, defeating Asha Roka by third round submission. Nguyen, meanwhile, was victorious against Puja Tomar in a Muay Thai contest.

WBC and IPCC Muay Thai World Champion Alma Juniku of Australia is back in ONE Super Series action when she takes on Anne Line Hogstad of Norway in a Muay Thai atomweight contest in 4-ounce gloves. Juniku made her ONE Championship debut against none other than two-sport World Champion Stamp Fairtex last June. She is now tasked to welcome ISKA Muay Thai World Champion and promotional newcomer Hogstad to the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan makes his much-awaited return to the ONE Championship ring when he goes head-to-head with Thailand’s Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit. Naito is on the comeback trail, having defeated fellow former ONE World Champion Alex Silva in his last outing. Mitsatit is one of the fastest rising martial arts talents from Thailand with an impressive 10-3 record. He is also a Northern Muay Thai Champion of Thailand with a 72-17 record.

Top King Muay Thai World Champion and former ONE World Title Contender Han Zi Hao of China will face one of his toughest opponents to date when he squares off with Thai veteran Kongsak “Left Savage” PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym. Han famously challenged reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao back in February. Kongsak, in contrast, is a three-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion and is coming off a close split decision win over Alaverdi Ramazanov. The two warriors will compete in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai bantamweight contest in 4-ounce gloves.

Making his ONE Championship debut is South Korean featherweight talent Jae Woong “The Fighting God” Kim who steps into the ONE Championship ring for the first time against top featherweight Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia of the United States. Kim is a TFC Featherweight Champion and Korea Boxing Champion who is riding a two-bout win streak. Urrutia, in contrast, is a SFC Bantamweight Champion who trains out of Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand.

In a battle between Muay Thai greats, Thailand’s Tukkatatong Petpayathai faces former ONE World Title Challenger Hiroaki “Kaibutsukun” Suzuki of Japan. The two-time Muay Thai World Champion representative of Evolve MMA owns a kickboxing record of 242-33-2. Suzuki, who challenged Tukkatatong’s teammate Nong-O Gaiyanghadao for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship last May, is a Shoot Boxing Lightweight World Champion with a professional kickboxing record of 41-12-1, 1NC.

Last but not least, top South Korean flyweight Kim Kyu Sung will make his second appearance in ONE Championship opposite ONE Warrior Series Contract Winner Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa of Japan, while Indian Wrestling Champion Roshan “The Indian Notorious” Mainam takes on KWC 1 Flyweight Tournament Champion Khon Sichan of Cambodia.

The 22-year-old Tour rookie, who lives just 60 miles away from Old American Golf Club in Aledo, became the fourth American to win in 2019. She also cements two years of LPGA Tour status and avoids a trip to Q-Series later this month in North Carolina. 

“I’ve always dreamt of a putt to win an LPGA event. I said when I got my card that this was the event I was most looking forward to and who would have thought this helped me like secure my card,” said Knight, who is the first player from the University of Alabama to win on the LPGA Tour. “It’s just been such a good learning experience because I thought I was planning on going back to Q-School and with this win, it just means everything knowing that I can persevere and knowing that I’m strong enough to do anything.” 

Knight, who started the day one stroke behind Green, only missed five fairways all week and played bogey-free golf on Sunday, carding five birdies for a 66 to tie for the low round of the day. But those birdies required more than a bit of hometown luck. She chipped in for birdie from off the green at holes 9 and 10, two moments that brought a huge smile to Knight’s face and clearly changed the momentum of her round. 

“On nine I debated putting it, but I was just like going through too much of fringe and I was like, you know, I’ve been chipping it well,” said Knight. “I hit my spot just how I wanted to and it was perfect. And then 10 I was kind of in between clubs. I took the shorter one and the wind just kind of knocked it down. Yeah, on 10 that was just, I mean, you have to laugh about that. I mean, two chip-ins in a row?” 

Playing one group ahead of Knight, Altomare stepped to the 18th tee just one stroke off the lead. But after sending her approach just off the back of the green, she made bogey to drop into a tie for second with Green. It is Altomare’s second runner-up finish of 2019, joining the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. Green earned her career-best finish after a final-round 69, her highest round of the tournament. 

Georgia Hall and Jane Park rounded out the top five at -11. Stephanie Meadow and Katherine Perry, both in need of strong finishes ahead of a potential return to Q-Series, tied for sixth at -10. Meadow moved from 112th to 99th on the LPGA Money List with $127,796 and will maintain full status for 2020, but Perry could not break into the top 100 and will head to Q-Series in Pinehurst, N.C. 

KNIGHT CREDITS HELP FROM ABOVE 

After Cheyenne Knight’s final putt dropped at No. 18, she was immediately surrounded by family and friends dousing her in water and enveloping her with hugs. She also raised her hands to the skies, recognizing her spiritual support system as much as those physically here with her on Earth. Knight, who openly professes a deeply personal faith, knew that there were two others with her every step of the way. After her win, 

Knight has long relied on her faith to get her through both the good times, like being named 2017 SEC Player of the Year for the University of Alabama, and the tough times. In 2008, her older brother, Brandon Burgett, was killed when the truck he was driving was hit by a drunk driver who was on the wrong side of the road. She said she felt her brother’s presence with her as she made her way around Old American Golf Club, and even through what had been a difficult rookie season on the LPGA Tour. She entered this week’s tournament 120th on the Official Money List and in serious jeopardy of returning to Q-Series to better her LPGA status. Instead, she is secured on the LPGA Tour for two years thanks to her victory. 

“I’ve prayed about this. Like it’s been a really hard year and I always knew that even though I didn’t understand at the time, I knew God was in control,” said Knight. “I think I had a second caddie out there and I know he’s watching in heaven, just so proud of me. It’s incredible, I just can’t really put it into words right now.” 

That faith even manifested today in an uncanny way. Burgett’s football number was 33, which Knight holds dear as her lucky number. She even has it on her yardage book for her to see before every shot. 

Her final round at the Volunteers of America Classic? Two 33s for a final-round 66, yet another tribute to one lost too early. A beautiful sign of a week that was meant to be for Cheyenne Knight. 

BITTERSWEET FEELINGS FOR GREEN AND ALTOMARE 

Brittany Altomare and Jaye Marie Green came just short of their first wins on the LPGA Tour, finishing in a tie for second at -16. For Altomare, her performance added to a year of consistency. The 28-year old only had three bogeys the entire tournament, with two just in the final round, and finished with her second runner-up result of the season. It was her 22nd straight cut made, and she said she is just waiting for her turn in the winner’s circle. 

“It’s just been close a few times, so just a little frustrating. But game’s there, so hopefully — I just feel like I press on the gas pedal and somebody presses it down even further. So eventually, so we’ll see,” said Altomare. 

Green played in the final group with Knight and witnessed the hometown crowd’s support for the Texas winner. “It was actually really cool. I was really in the zone, so I didn’t really notice too much of what was going on around me. It was good,” said Green. “She’s from around here and she had to play good to keep her card and then she won, it’s cool.” 

Despite the finish, Green said she walked away with plenty of positives and a new goal for the end of the year. “Me and my brother (and caddie Matt Green) were just talking. He goes, ‘Jaye, you played great, it was just you didn’t lose, you didn’t — you didn’t lose it, she just won, don’t worry,’” said Green. “He goes, ‘I think that gets you in CME or close to CME,’ and he goes, ‘I think that’s a good one to win.’ I was like, ‘you’re right, all right, we’ll save it.’” 

CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE – SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE 

The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group will donate $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2019, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. 

Chella Choi aced the 143-yard, par-3 16th hole on Saturday of the Volunteers of America Classic, for a total of $20,000 raised this week. There have been 25 aces made this season and a total of $500,000 donated thus far in 2019.

LEADERS TOP 10 COMPETITION 

The LEADERS Top 10 competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top-10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. In the event of a tie in total top-10 finishes, the award will go to the player with the most official wins, followed by most second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc., until the tie is broken. 

With her T8 finish at the Volunteers of America Classic, Jeongeun Lee6 moves into a tie for first place with Brooke Henderson, Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim with 10 top-10 finishes. Ariya Jutanugarn and Nelly Korda sit in a tie for fifth at nine.

It was a champion performance from the title defender who chased the unfancied Frenchman right from the start. His initial attempts to take the lead failed until he changed gears in the final lap to finally speed ahead. 

“I had planned from the start of the weekend to win the race, not worrying about winning the championship or the battle between me and [Andrea] Dovizioso. My target was to try to find the best way to win the race,” said the 26-year-old, who also produced a late resurgence to win the title here last year, overtaking Dovizioso in the last corner. 

It was a stunning rebound for the Spaniard who collapsed twice, on Friday and Saturday. He timed 39:36.223 mins to win his ninth race of the season, which propelled him to eighth for the World Championship crown with 325 points, leaving closest rival Dovizioso with no chance to catch up as he is at a distant second with 215 points though there are four more races. 

“Fabio was really fast in most parts of the race. I wasn’t able to grab the lead in the middle of the race. I caught up in the last lap and took it from there. It’s been an amazing year. It’s now time for me to enjoy and celebrate the eighth [world] title,” added Marquez, who has won the World Championship titles in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, the youngest-ever to have eight world titles. He also has 14 podium positions in 2019. 

Quartaroro, the 20-year-old rookie, who was the youngest to achieve four pole positions including at the start of Sunday’s race, appeared to be on his way for a maiden victory before the late resurgence from Marquez. 

“I can’t say anything except that I’m so proud of the work of my team and myself. I couldn’t be happier as I fought until the last corner. I had already tried everything. If I didn’t try to make a move in the last corner, I would have been unhappy. My time will come,” said the French rider, who had to settle for second place, for the third time this year including in Catalan and San Marino. 

He timed 39:36.394 with Maverick Vinales of Spain coming in third in 39:37.603. The runner-up in 2018, Dovizioso of Italy, came in fourth in 39:47.441.