The LPGA stars are playing on the final day of the 2025 season. With a field of the top 60 golfers throughout the year, spectators at Tiburón Golf Club didn’t have to wait long for something special in the final round. There were two jaw-dropping moments at the CME Group Tour Championship. Fans watched as a pair of precision shots turned quiet par-3s into scenes of pure excitement, which even led to something more wonderful. Shots delivered by these two LPGA stars resulted in a combined donation of $40,000.

Hye-Jin Choi and Stephanie Kyriacou hit an ace during the final round at the CME Group Tour Championship. The LPGA tweeted about the same. “Hye-Jin Choi cards an ace on the last day of the season 🚨,” LPGA wrote for the South Korean golfer. And it wrote “Second ace of the season for @Stephkyriacou2✌️” for the Australian.

Hye-Jin Choi aced the par-3 5th hole, a 183-yard shot. Stephanie Kyriacou made her ace on the par-3 8th hole, playing 138 yards. While Choi hit her first ace of the season, it was the second for Kyriacou. Her first ace came on the par-3 8th hole at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open.

“I actually didn’t know. I didn’t want to celebrate if it wasn’t in the hole,” Kyriacou said about her first ace. “I thought maybe it hit the flag and just went somewhere, so the reaction is probably pretty poor for a hole-in-one. I just gave everyone a high five and then waited until I got to the green to confirm.”

With their aces, both Hye-Jin Choi and Stephanie Kyriacou donated $40,000 at the CME Group Tour Championship. These donations came under the CME Group Cares Challenge. It is a season-long charitable giving program. Every time an LPGA star makes an ace, $20,000 is awarded to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The base minimum amount awarded is $500,000, and can increase based on the number of aces in the season.

In 2024, 29 holes-in-one were made. Thus, CME Group awarded $580,000 last year. This year, the tally stood at 20 before the season finale. Therefore, the amount to be given was $400,000. However, it will now increase to $440,000 after these two aces. But it still stays short of the minimum $500,000 mark.

The highest contribution came from the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. Three golfers hit aces at the event to donate $60,000. There are 330 aces made since 2019, when the program began. Because of this, the company has donated $3,340,000 in total. Besides the CME Group Cares Challenge, the LPGA has undertaken many other such charitable initiatives.

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Charitable initiatives at the LPGA

One of the biggest charitable initiatives by the LPGA is the LPGA Foundation. Established in 1991, it focuses on empowering women and girls through the game of golf. The foundation has positively impacted over 500,000 lives through programs such as scholarships, financial assistance, and its flagship junior golf program, LPGA USGA Girls Golf.

The Foundation administers scholarships for young women pursuing college who are passionate about golf. Qualifications typically include academic achievement and community service. It also runs the LPGA Leadership Academy, which helps teenage girls develop confidence, communication, and leadership skills through golf. The Foundation recently launched a Giving Circle campaign to increase funding and support opportunities for girls and women in golf.

In 2025, ShopRite donated a record $1.8 million to food banks, hospitals, and other charities through its annual LPGA Classic event. Initiatives include scholarships, sponsorships for LPGA athletes, and a TeamSmile dental care clinic providing free oral health services to underserved children. ShopRite also supports young golfers through scholarships in collaboration with First Tee, promoting life skills and educational opportunities via golf.

“We believe in the power of sport to create positive change, and ShopRite and Wakefern’s unwavering support plays a crucial role in our mission to give back,” said Jeremy Friedman, Media Director for the ShopRite LPGA Classic. “We’re proud to partner with them as the longest-standing title sponsor on the LPGA Tour.”

The LPGA also introduced the Dow Impact Award in 2025. Through this award, Dow offered a cash prize to the winner and matched it with a donation to her favorite charity. Lexi Thompson won the inaugural Dow Impact Award. Around 3,400 fans had cast their vote. With 48% votes, Thompson won $25,000. The same amount was donated to the Morgan Pressel Foundation, her chosen charity.

Choi and Kyriacou had also contributed to this effort by participating in the CME Group Cares Challenge. Their aces highlights added excitement to the season finale while giving a meaningful lift to a program that continues to touch lives far beyond the course.