Incredibly, that’s what Ji did.

Playing in seven matches over five days at Shadow Creek Golf Club outside Las Vegas, Ji went 6-0-1 to win the event, her sixth LPGA Tour victory.

On Friday evening, Ji needed to win the last two holes of her third and final group-play match with Kelly Tan to advance to the weekend and the Round of 16. Her putter delivered, and she entered the weekend beaming at the prospect of getting to play in the US Women’s Open again.

Ji won her first match on Saturday morning against Hye-Jin Choi, powered through the quarter-finals with a 7-and-6 win over Madelene Sagstrom. Come Sunday, she defeated Andrea Lee in the semis 4 and 3, and faced Ayaka Furue in the finals.

Furue is an LPGA rookie from Japan, 14 years younger than Ji. Neither was more than 1 up until the 12th hole. The two went back and forth, highlighted at the ninth with Ji holing out for eagle. At one point, the pair had gone six holes without a halve. They got to the par-5 16th, and Ji’s putter came through again. Her clutch par putt won her the hole and the match, finishing three up with two to play.

The format of this event is greulling. Over the course of five days, the eventual winner plays seven matches. Ji felt the effects of her efforts. After the round, she talked about an aching back and general exhaustion, but she smiled as she spoke about the struggle to keep going. Ji knows to enjoy the winner’s circle, because she’s seen how hard it can be to get there. After her 2009 US Women’s Open win, she was winless until 2017. Now, she’s the oldest South Korean woman to win on the LPGA Tour, and she’s headed back to the US Women’s Open.

As for her major-week plans, she said: “Get there, rest first, and then see the course and then just do the same thing as this week.”

Exhaustion is worth it when it earns you the chance at winning another major.

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The post Eun-Hee Ji wins Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play, securing the last spot in the US Women’s Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Keely Levins
Standing on the tee at Aviara Country Club’s par-3 14th on Sunday at the LPGA Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea had a one-shot lead over a late-charging Cristie Kerr. Any hope Kerr had of pulling off the comeback quickly faded away, though, when Ji’s 7-iron tee-shot from 166 yards went in the hole. Suddenly, Ji had has a three-shot lead and Kerr, who was playing three groups ahead of Ji, was out of holes.

Oh, and as a nice bonus, Ji’s ace also secured her a new Kia Sorento.

Eun-Hee Ji wins a beautiful @Kia #Sorento with this ace on the par 3 14th hole during the final round @LPGAKiaClassic! pic.twitter.com/4XGAOAqhMV

— LPGA (@LPGA) March 26, 2018

There was, however, more golf to play, and Ji made it more intriguing when she bogeyed the 15th and 18th holes. Turns out, though, hole-in-one cushion would be enough as Ji finished with a closing 67 for a 16-under 272 total, winning by two shots over Kerr and Lizette Salas.

Given the name of the event, it won’t come as a total surprise that its winner gets a new car along with the winner’s check. Ji then had become the proud owner of a new Kia Stinger, which was waiting off the 18th green.

If you weren’t keeping score, that’s two new cars for Ji in a two-hour span on Sunday afternoon.

Most people who manage to win a car with their golf abilities broadcast the feat to the whole world, repeatedly. But not Ji. She won two and didn’t even know it. In her excitement over her fourth career LPGA victory, she didn’t even realize she’d won both cars until she was told in her post-round interview.

The post The latest LPGA champ won two cars in two hours on Sunday appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Keely Levins

South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship by six strokes over former Rolex World No. 1, Lydia Ko. It’s Ji’s first win on the LPGA since her win at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open. Ji, who’s from Seoul but now lives in Florida, took the lead after the first round, shooting a six-under 66 at Miramar Golf Club. She finished with rounds of 71, 69 and 65, never seriously being threatened as finally ended her lengthy winless streak.

“I’m so happy and excited because I haven’t won for the past eight years,” said Ji, who’s in her 11th season on tour. “So I was waiting for this moment for so long, I’m super happy right now.”

Though Ko closed strong with weekend rounds of 68 and 65, Ji’s lead was too great to overcome. Ji, 31, made just three bogeys all week, on her way to shooting 17 under for the week. The six-shot triumph ties for the largest victory margin on the LPGA this season.

Like Ko, current World No. 1 So Yeon Ryu shot 65 in the final round. She finished in a five-way tie for third at seven under.

A little bit further down the leader board, a familiar name popped up with a better finish than usual. Former World No. 1 Yani Tseng, playing back at home in Taiwan, had a stronger week. ON the back nine of the final round, she went eagle-birdie-birdie to put herself into the top five on the leader board. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old made a double bogey and a bogey coming in and finished T-17. Still, the finish is a step in the right direction for Tseng, who has been struggling this year, missing 15 cuts.

“I missed this feeling, and I really want to thank all the fans who came out today to give me great support,” Tseng said. “I really appreciate it and I feel the nerves and I feel the pressure, but it was great pressure and good nerves. I haven’t had that for a while.”

The post A former U.S. Women’s Open champ gets first win in eight years while two former World No. 1s have encouraging finishes in Taiwan appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.