‘Eldest Sister’ Ji Eun-hee "Again 2022"... ‘Ko Jin-young Rest’

Ji Eun-hee Challenges 2nd Consecutive Win at Bank of Hope Match Play
Top Rankers Ko Jin-young, Korda, Lydia Ko Absent, Favorable for Korea
Yu Hae-ran, Shin Ji-eun, Kim Se-young, Lee Jeong-eun 6 Join

The "eldest sister" Ji Eun-hee is aiming for her second consecutive victory.

Starting on the 24th (local time), Ji Eun-hee will compete for the championship at the LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play (total prize money $1.5 million), held over five days at the Shadow Creek Golf Course (par 72, 6,804 yards) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Similar to the FIFA World Cup in soccer, 64 players are divided into 16 groups, with the top player from each group advancing to the round of 16, followed by one-on-one matches to determine the winner. This year, the world’s top three ranked players?Nelly Korda (USA), Ko Jin-young, and Lydia Ko (New Zealand)?are absent.

Ji Eun-hee is a veteran who debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2007 and has accumulated six wins, including one major championship. Last year, she won this tournament at the age of 36 years and 17 days, setting the record as the oldest Korean champion. It was a thrilling victory achieved after 3 years and 4 months since the January 2019 “champion of champions” Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions.

Jiyunhee aims for a second consecutive win at the LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play.

Ji Eun-hee advanced through the group stage with 2 wins and 1 draw, then defeated Choi Hye-jin in the round of 16, Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden) in the quarterfinals, Andrea Lee (USA) in the semifinals, and Ayaka Furue (Japan) in the final. This season, Ji Eun-hee has participated in eight tournaments and reached the main event four times. Her best result was a tie for 11th place at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March. In the most recent tournament, the Cognizant Founders Cup two weeks ago, she missed the cut. Ji Eun-hee is determined to turn the momentum around on the “Promised Land.”

World No. 4 Lilia Vu (USA) is a strong contender for the title. She is riding high after winning two tournaments last month, including the major Chevron Championship. She leads in prize money ($1,113,878), is first in Player of the Year points (94 points), second in CME Globe Race points (1,347 points), and ranks fourth in scoring average (69.33 strokes). Ayaka Furue is determined to erase the disappointment of last year’s runner-up finish. Dark horses include Brooke Henderson (Canada), Danielle Kang, Jennifer Kupcho, and 2021 “Match Queen” Ally Ewing (all USA).

Korea is pinning hopes on rookie No. 1 Yoo Hae-ran. She has smoothly adapted to the US stage with three top-7 finishes this year. At the Founders Cup, she finished 4th after a fierce battle for the title. Shin Ji-eun, who tied for 5th in this tournament last year, is also dreaming of victory. Additionally, the field includes 2017 Lorena Ochoa Match Play champion Kim Sei-young, Lee Jeong-eun 6, Kim A-lim, An Na-rin, and Hong Ye-eun.

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