It was Ji Eun-hee (36, Hanwha Q CELLS)’s shot eagle that decided the direction of the championship.
Eun-hee Ji, the oldest Korean player active on the LPGA Tour, was held on the 30th (Korean time) at the Shadow Creek Golf Club (par 72, 6804 yards) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. He met Ayaka Furue (Japan) in the final of the Hope Match Play (total prize money of $1.5 million) and defeated him by 3 holes with 2 holes remaining.
Ji Eun-hee, who overcame the forced march that had to go through a total of seven rounds over five days, added a title following regarding three years and four months since the Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions in January 2019, achieving the sixth win in her career. Her winning prize is $225,000 (regarding 280 million won). At the age of 36 years and 16 days, Ji Eun-hee broke the record of the oldest Korean player on the LPGA Tour (Park Hee-young 32 years, 8 months, 17 days).
The tension in the final started sharply following Ji Eun-hee’s shot eagle.
Ji Eun-hee, who was led by 1 hole in the beginning, caught a birdie on the 8th hole (par 3) and turned the game around. And a dramatic eagle came out on the 9th hole (par 5).
Eun-hee Ji and Ayaka Furue were both challenging the 3-on situation, and Eun-hee Ji’s shot, which crossed the water hazard and attacked the green, hit the green and was sucked into the hole cup and became an eagle. Ji Eun-hee raised her hands and expressed her joy.
With this shot, Ji Eun-hee found room to play the game stably followingwards. On the other hand, Ayaka Furue, who became the pursuer, began to shake with his impatience.
On the 10th hole (par 4), Ji Eun-hee boldly tried for a downhill birdie, but it missed. However, Ayaka Furue’s putt, who was aiming for par from a closer distance than Eunhee Ji, also passed the hole cup. Ji Eun-hee, who took another chance, made a par without making a mistake and ran away by two holes.
He gave up the 11th hole (par 4) and was chased by one hole, but Ji Eun-hee widened the gap even more on the 12th hole (par 4). After aiming for a hole from the top of the second-tier green, Ayaka putt past the hole cup. Ji Eun-hee, who got close to the hole cup, recorded a par, but Ayaka Furue missed even the par putt. The gap between the two players became two holes once more.
As the number of remaining holes decreased, Ayaka Furue was further pushed into a corner. In the final 16th hole (par 5), where the game was decided, Ayaka Furue made a putt mistake, and Eunhee Ji eventually secured the victory.
(Seoul = News 1)
