Yu-ing "I'm the LPGA Match Queen~"... Popov Runner-up

'2-Hole Victory' in Bank of Hope Match Play Final, Jutanugarn 3rd, Feng Shanshan 4th

Ally Ewing is hitting an iron shot on the 11th hole of the final day of the Bank of Hope Match Play. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Ally Ewing (USA) has been crowned the ‘Match Queen’.

On the afternoon of the 31st (Korean time), at the Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (par 72, 6,804 yards), Ewing defeated Sophia Popov (Germany) by 2 holes in the final of the LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play (total prize money $1.5 million). This marks her second career win, seven months after her first victory at the LPGA Drive On Championship last October, with a winner’s prize of $225,000 (approximately 250 million KRW).

After defeating Jenny Coleman and Danielle Kang (both USA) in the round of 16 and quarterfinals respectively the previous day, Ewing continued her momentum by crushing ‘Honda LPGA Thailand Champion’ Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) by 3 holes in the morning semifinal. In the final, she took control by winning the 2nd and 6th holes, and showed resilience by recovering from a bogey on the 11th hole with a birdie on the 14th hole (both par 4s). The match concluded with a double bogey on the 17th hole (par 3), resulting in a tie and sealing her victory.

Ewing is a sixth-year player who debuted in 2016 after finishing tied for 22nd in the 2015 LPGA Tour qualifying school. Last year, she had her best season, finishing 11th on the money list with $629,772, including one win and one runner-up finish. This year, she has shown consistency by making the cut in all nine tournaments she has entered. Popov, last year’s major AIG Women’s British Open champion, reached the final by defeating Feng Shanshan (China) but was satisfied with her best season performance.

Jutanugarn conceded the third-place match to Feng Shanshan by ‘concession’. “I understand Feng Shanshan’s decision,” she said. “We are all tired, and next week (June 4-7) the major US Women’s Open (total prize money $5.5 million) will be held.” Feng, who completed six rounds over five days, or rather four and a half days, said, “I am really tired,” and explained, “Since the US Women’s Open will be played on a difficult course, I think I made the right decision for myself.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.