NAPLES, Fla. — Former U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally champion Allisen Corpuz might be saving the best for last this week at the CME Group Tour Championship.

The Hawaii native fired a nearly perfect 6-under 66 on Thursday at Tiburón Golf Club, making one bogey and seven birdies to kick off her fourth appearance in the season finale and to sit two shots off the pace of 18-hole leader Somi Lee. She got off to a bit of a slow start, carding two pars and a bogey on the third hole to slip to 1-over early, but Corpuz then blitzed her next four holes, rattling off four straight birdies to race out to 3-under.

The 27-year-old landed another punch with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole to move to 4-under, quieting down until the closing stretch and then picking up a pair of back-to-back birdies on the par-3 16th and par-5 17th holes to polish off her opening 66, what is her third round of 66 or better in her last three starts.

“I think this is a course, there are a lot of birdie opportunities, so was just telling Jay (Monahan, her caddie), it's the last week of the year. Why not see how many we can make and see how high I can finish this week?” said Corpuz. “I got off to a fairly fast start. Made four in a row, I think, 4, 5, 6, 7, which was really nice to see on the front, and then made a few more on the back, as well.”

This is Corpuz’s 25th tournament of the 2025 LPGA Tour season, and the two-time U.S. Solheim Cup Team member has made 18 cuts in her previous 24 events, tallying just two top-10 results at the Honda LPGA Thailand (T7) and the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass (3).

In the three times that she has teed it up at Tiburón Golf Club, the major winner has never finished higher than T17, and her Thursday 66 is just the second round of 66 or better that she has fired in Naples, Fla., as she also shot a 66 in the first round in 2024.

This facility can be quite unfriendly at times to the 60 athletes who qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship at the end of each year, depending on the weather and the course conditions. But Corpuz felt like the property was fairly mild in round one and was delighted to be able to capitalize quickly with a $4 million first-place check on the line.

“I think just feeling a little more comfortable,” said Corpuz about what the difference was on day one. “I think every year I come back, and the course feels a little friendlier. It's been really cold for the last few years, as well, and I think it's played a little shorter with it being a little warmer, which always helps me. I just had a few good looks out there today.”

Corpuz became a Rolex First-Time Winner in 2023 at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, a victory that is still the lone victory on her LPGA Tour resume. And while there are still 54 holes remaining before the final champion of the year is decided, and while no golf tournament is ever won on a Thursday, Corpuz is now well-positioned to make something special happen over the next three rounds at Tiburón Golf Club, what would be a curtain call for the ages for the 27-year-old.

“I think this is obviously a very top-heavy event,” said Corpuz, “so just going out there and trying to make as many birdies as I can, just a nice end to the season.”

Allisen Corpuz Cards 66 to Kick Off Fourth Start in CME Group Tour Championship

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