Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where we are thankful for golf. And for you. Without both, we literally wouldn’t be here. To the golf news!
Other than Scottie Scheffler, each golf winner is unexpected, which helps us a bit in choosing five this week. But as we enter golf’s offseason (this is an ongoing piece, we basically enter the offseason every week, there is no offseason), it’s worth mentioning a few.
5 unexpected winners this week
1. Jeeno Thitikul (and her new commissioner)
For most of the LPGA season, one storyline prevailed: there were no repeat winners. During 25 weeks, 26 different players won an event (24 individual winners plus the two-player Dow Championship), which was a statistical oddity and a clear expression of the circuit’s depth and talent. But it was also a concern. Every sports league needs star power, needs recognizable faces in the mix, needs recurring characters. Sure, 2024 was the year of Nelly Korda. Would 2025 be the year of… everyone else?
No.
Jeeno Thitikul was hardly a surprise; she won the 2024 final event (the CME Group Tour Championship) and the Mizuho Americas Open in April. She also took over the crown of world number 1. But with heartbreaking second-place finishes instead of wins (four second-place finishes in 2025, including three in five starts from July to September), it felt like her year would be defined by near misses. But then she flipped the script, winning the Buick LPGA Shanghai in October and then repeating it at this weekend’s big-money CME, where she ran and hid from the field and ultimately won by four.
It was a suitably dominant result for what was ultimately a dominant season.
The numbers and prices tell an important story: Lowest scoring average ever. The most money ever. Rolex Player of the Year. Winner of the Vare Trophy. And so on. But that’s just part of what I hope will be an even bigger story: a girl from small-town Thailand who learned golf at a local driving range is now No. 1 in the world, a major face of the LPGA, a dominant player and a wonderful, thoughtful interview.
“A lot of things definitely happen in just one year,” she said after her victory on Sunday. “You see me holding the trophy today, but you definitely see me crying about the four putt I had earlier [this season]. You can’t predict anything with golf. Anything can happen. You can’t control anyone else. But what lasts long is your hard work, your discipline and, for example, your passion for golf.”
Her win capped off a hugely successful few weeks for her league’s new frontman, Commissioner Craig Kessler. While his tour waded into contentious waters — much ink was spilled over Kai Trump and the LPGA’s new Saudi partnership — he scored a much more substantial victory by amplifying the LPGA’s messaging for years to come. The end-of-season CME felt big because of that news, because of Jeeno’s win, even because of little things like the awards ceremony at the beginning of the week, speeches, and the red carpet. The LPGA’s season of anonymity ended with optimism and star power. Nelly and Jeeno and who’s next. Let’s hope 2026 picks up where 2025 left off.
2. Sami Valimaki (and the nation of Finland)
He was already a two-time DP World Tour winner and a two-time PGA Tour runner-up. Now Sami Valimaki is a winner with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour – and the first winner in Finland’s history.
If you were to make up a short story about the background of a Finnish golf professional, you might come close to Valimaki, a hockey forward with a nice shot and dreams of an NHL future.
“That was actually my whole idea, but they didn’t pick me for the national team,” he said after the victory on Sunday. “So they picked me for the national golf team. I said, OK, let’s try it here, and this path has worked well.”
You can say that again.
(Learn more about who got PGA Tour tickets – and who didn’t – here.)
3. Dan Brown (we think)
In this case, we are not talking about the author of the Da Vinci Code, but about the English golfer who finished at number 11 in the list of DP World Tour pros who received PGA Tour promotion. That seems like an unfortunate place to me Then Brown – unless one of the top 10 drops out of contention before the end of 2025. That is now a possibility, according to a report by Sports business magazine that Laurie Canter will return to LIV Golf despite qualifying for the PGA Tour.
There are layers to this. Canter would be the first ex-LIV pro to earn his PGA Tour card; that’s clearly up in the air now. He’s currently a version of “Schrodinger’s Golfer,” caught in the ultimate limbo between DP World Tour status, PGA Tour status and LIV Golf status. Until we hear more from him or his new team, we won’t know for sure. But Brown will be hoping to make things official in the next month…
4. Anthony Kim (and a few former colleagues)
Certain Asian Tour events feel like extended LIV events, especially this week’s PIF Saudi International, which was sponsored by LIV’s backers, held in LIV’s home country and featured a top 10 made up entirely of 2,025 LIV golfers.
The winner was remarkable, José Luis Ballestera young Spaniard and 2024 US Amateur Champion who signed with LIV earlier this year. He jumped from outside the top 1000 in the official world golf rankings to No. 264; him and second Caleb Surratt (who climbed to number 244) reminded us that they all have the game to compete with the best on their circuit and beyond.
But the man in T5 was just as intriguing: Anthony Kim. The mysterious former PGA Tour star just completed his second year with LIV and faces an uncertain future after being demoted from the competition. The problem wasn’t just that he was bumped by LIV; the problem wasn’t that he could be competitive. In 32 starts since his comeback, mostly in LIV’s 54-player fields (plus) some on the Asian Tour, Kim has 28 finishes outside the top 40 and a best result of T25.
But on Sunday he completed by far his most complete week of golf, shooting 67-64-69-70 to finish T5 alongside Tyrrell Hatton, providing concrete evidence that what he’s been working on has paid off. Whatever you think of Kim, his comeback, his LIV decision or his online war of words, it’s hard not to be amazed by his comeback on track. This was his first top 20 since 2011. Since 2011! That’s remarkable.
5. Australian Golf (and golf at funny times)
Do you live in the US? What time do you prefer to play golf? Do you like it at 9am ET on Black Friday, Skins-Game style, before getting a big helping of Thanksgiving leftovers? You’re in luck. But that’s for everyone. The true diehards will already be immersed in the BMW Australian PGA Championship, which kicks off on Thursday, November 27 at the Royal Queensland Golf Club.
No, this isn’t next week’s Australian Open, which takes place at Royal Melbourne and features a world-famous headliner Rory McIlroy. But you will have Australian stars like Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott And Cameron SmithDP World Tour stars love it Marco Money And Rasmus Neergaard-PetersenLIV stars want Joaquin Niemann And David Puig getting their DP World Tour starts before their fines get murky – and comeback stories like that of Andrew “Beef” Johnston And Eddie Pepperell.
The Australian golf summer is here. Golf has no off-season.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
There’s no hope of golf before work; the sun doesn’t rise until 7:30 am, and it’s cold.
There’s no hope of golf after work; the sun sets at 4:20 p.m., and it’s cold.
It’s time to have lunch with golf. I’ll see you there.
And we’ll see you next week.
Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
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