Eun-Hee Ji won the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play for a spot in the US Women’s Open, beating Ayaka Furue 3&2 in cooler conditions at Shadow Creek. Ji, the 2009 US Women’s Open winner at Saucon Valley, took the last spot at Pine Needles with her sixth LPGA Tour victory and first since 2019. “I’m so excited to win the tournament,” Ji said. “Then going to next week, this is the way to be going into next week. I’m so exciting.” At 36, Ji is the oldest South Korean winner in LPGA Tour history. Ranked 83rd in the world, she was seeded 36th in the 64-player field. “I don’t feel old,” Ji said. With soaring wind and temperature in the first three days, conditions were somewhat calmer on the last day. “This wind affect a lot,” Ji said. “It’s really hard golf course today, especially from the tee shot. Really have to make sure keep it in the fairway. ” Ji was asked if she was more physically tired or mentally exhausted after playing seven matches in five days, four in the last two days. “Both. My feet almost not moving last couple holes and my back hurts, starting to hurt,” Ji said. “Really tired now.” Furue is winless on the LPGA Tour. Ranked 27th, the 22-year-old Japanese player was seeded 10th. “It was definitely tough conditions out there,” Furue said. “I was having to use my brain a lot with the wind being so strong. Just not only physically draining, but mentally draining as well.” Both players struggled early, combining for three par wins and three bogey halves on the first seven holes. After making bogeys on the first two par 5s to fall a hole behind, Ji birdied the par-3 eighth to tie it. She holed out from 92 yards for eagle on the par-5 ninth and won the par-4 10th with a par for a 2-up lead. Furue took the par-4 11th with her lone birdie of the match, and Ji countered with a par win on the par-4 12th. They halved the next three holes and Ji ended it with a par win on the par-5 16th – holing a 10-footer before Furue missed her par try. In the windy morning semi-finals, Ji beat Andrea Lee 4 and 3, and Furue edged Lilia Vu 2 and 1. Vu beat Lee 4 and 2 in the third-place match for the former UCLA player’s best finish on the tour. “Exhausted. That’s all I can say,” Vu said. “It’s tiring. My back is barely hanging in there. Going to have to do something before the next week.”
