Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn is the player in the big picture. 

 

 

 

 

The Thai golfer is bidding to become the first LPGA Tour player to pass $3 million in prize money in a single season, and victory in the third women's major of the year at Kemper Lakes north of Chicago this week would take her over $2 million with six months left.

 

Not bad for a 22-year-old who only joined the US Tour in 2015. "I want to be a happy golfer," she told reporters ahead of the tournament. "I want to really enjoy myself with every moment in my life, and that's who I want to be."

 

 

 

Jutanugarn is the reigning US Women's Open champion and world No.2 and leads the Tour in all the major stats, including money earned, scoring average, birdies made and putting. On paper, she is the one to beat this week, not that she will be thinking that.

 

"I never think about the outcome, and I feel like when I think about the outcome, it does not really help me to be a better golfer because I start to get worried," added Jutanugarn, a nine-time LPGA Tour winner.

 

 

Jutanugarn won the US Open at Shoal Creek earlier this month despite squandering a seven-shot heading into the final nine holes. But she fought back to beat Hyo-Joo Kim in a playoff for a second major title to add to her 2016 Women's British Open crown.
She has so far pocketed $1,754, 523 from 16 events this season, well clear of world No.1 Inbee Park with $878,137 from nine tournaments. The winner this week will take home $900,000.
The record for the most money earned in a season is the $2.92 million collected by Taiwan's Yani Tseng in 2011. By comparison with the men's PGA Tour, Jordan Spieth won a record $12 million in prize money in his double major-winning season of 2015.