LPGA Tour
Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions
January 17-20
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
$1,200,000
January 17-20
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
$1,200,000
Round 4
Eun-hee Ji wins inaugural Tournament of Champions
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
January 20, 2019
Eun-hee Ji won the LPGA Tournament of Champions on Sunday, firing a one-under par 70 for a two-shot triumph over fellow South Korean Lee Mi-rim.
Eun-Hee Ji survived the wind and cold to win her fifth @LPGA victory at #DiamondLPGA.
— LPGA (@LPGA) January 20, 2019
FINAL ROUND RECAP ==> https://t.co/RA6thwulCt pic.twitter.com/RKWyuF0Ez3
The 32-year-old, a former US Women's Open champion whose 2017 Swinging Skirts Taiwan triumph saw her end an eight-year title drought, has now won at least one tournament in three straight seasons.
She started the day tied for the lead with New Zealand's former world number one Lydia Ko and they remained tied atop the board after nine holes.
But Ko's challenge faded with a double-bogey at 13, promptly followed by a bogey at 14. She made her only birdie of the day at the 16th, but a disappointing day ended on a down note when Ko was in the hazard at the par-3 18th on the way to another double-bogey and a six-over 77.
That left her in eighth place, seven shots adrift.
Ji finished with five birdies and four bogeys on the day. Lee applied some pressure with birdies at the 10th, 13th and 16th that moved her to 12-under and that's where she finished after her three-under 68.
A bogey at 15 dropped Ji to 13-under, but she responded with a three-foot birdie at the par-four 16th to give herself a cushion over the last two holes.
Ji said the format of the new season-opening event, which features celebrities playing alongside LPGA winners from the past two seasons, made for a relaxing week.
"It made it more fun," she said. "I didn't get nervous."
Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn and China's Feng Shanshan shared fourth on 274.
MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz , an exceptional golfer who qualified for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open, captured the celebrity portion of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. Despite struggling with three bogeys and a double-bogey on his inward nine, the Fox TV analyst finished at +149 and took a three-point win over fellow All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder (+146). Two-time celebrity champion Mardy Fish finished third with 140 points.
“The conditions today were brutal and hard, and you had to grind, and I learned a lot from just my past year of qualifying for the Senior Open,” said Smoltz, who won his first major competitive tournament. “That, to me, has prepared me to kind of grind out a game. I'm not even close to where I want to be, but I'm getting closer.”
The celebrity competition was played with a Modified Stableford scoring system. A double eagle earns 10 points, an ace earns eight points, an eagle earns five points, a birdie earns three points, a par earns two points, a bogey earns one points and a double bogey or higher earns zero points.
The LEADERS Top 10 competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top-10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. In the event of a tie in total top-10 finishes, the award will go to the player with the most official wins, followed by most second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc., until the tie is broken.
With a two-way tie for 10th, 11 players finished in the top 10 at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, led by winner Eun-Hee Ji .
Pos. |
Player | Scores |
Total |
To Par |
Prize Money |
1 |
Eun-Hee Ji | 65 - 69 - 66 - 70 |
270 |
-14 |
$180,000 |
2 |
Mirim Lee | 67 - 68 - 69 - 68 |
272 |
-12 |
$147,962 |
3 |
Nelly Korda | 70 - 67 - 65 - 71 |
273 |
-11 |
$107,336 |
T4 |
Moriya Jutanugarn | 71 - 67 - 67 - 69 |
274 |
-10 |
$74,933 |
T4 |
Shanshan Feng | 71 - 67 - 66 - 70 |
274 |
-10 |
$74,933 |
T6 |
Stacy Lewis | 66 - 74 - 66 - 70 |
276 |
-8 |
$50,225 |
T6 |
Brooke M. Henderson | 65 - 67 - 69 - 75 |
276 |
-8 |
$50,225 |
8 |
Lydia Ko | 66 - 68 - 66 - 77 |
277 |
-7 |
$40,100 |
9 |
Georgia Hall | 73 - 66 - 69 - 70 |
278 |
-6 |
$36,049 |
T10 |
Lexi Thompson | 67 - 69 - 73 - 70 |
279 |
-5 |
$31,593 |
T10 |
Gaby Lopez | 69 - 68 - 69 - 73 |
279 |
-5 |
$31,593 |
T12 |
In Gee Chun | 70 - 71 - 71 - 69 |
281 |
-3 |
$27,461 |
T12 |
Annie Park | 68 - 70 - 73 - 70 |
281 |
-3 |
$27,461 |
T14 |
Amy Yang | 75 - 69 - 69 - 69 |
282 |
-2 |
$24,221 |
T14 |
Cristie Kerr | 72 - 72 - 67 - 71 |
282 |
-2 |
$24,221 |
T16 |
Nasa Hataoka | 73 - 72 - 71 - 67 |
283 |
-1 |
$21,629 |
T16 |
Marina Alex | 69 - 67 - 72 - 75 |
283 |
-1 |
$21,629 |
T18 |
Danielle Kang | 68 - 74 - 70 - 72 |
284 |
E |
$19,334 |
T18 |
Ariya Jutanugarn | 67 - 67 - 75 - 75 |
284 |
E |
$19,334 |
T18 |
Mi Hyang Lee | 68 - 71 - 69 - 76 |
284 |
E |
$19,334 |
21 |
Anna Nordqvist | 71 - 74 - 69 - 71 |
285 |
1 |
$17,984 |
T22 |
Katherine Kirk | 73 - 72 - 71 - 70 |
286 |
2 |
$17,012 |
T22 |
Brittany Lincicome | 71 - 72 - 70 - 73 |
286 |
2 |
$17,012 |
24 |
Pernilla Lindberg | 77 - 70 - 68 - 72 |
287 |
3 |
$16,040 |
25 |
Sei Young Kim | 69 - 69 - 73 - 77 |
288 |
4 |
$15,473 |
26 |
Thidapa Suwannapura | 68 - 69 - 79 - 76 |
292 |
8 |
$14,906 |
Pos. |
Player | Scores |
Total |
To Par |
1 |
Eun-Hee Ji | 65 - 69 - 66 - 70 |
270 |
-14 |
2 |
Mirim Lee | 67 - 68 - 69 - 68 |
272 |
-12 |
3 |
Nelly Korda | 70 - 67 - 65 - 71 |
273 |
-11 |
T4 |
Moriya Jutanugarn | 71 - 67 - 67 - 69 |
274 |
-10 |
T4 |
Shanshan Feng | 71 - 67 - 66 - 70 |
274 |
-10 |
T6 |
Stacy Lewis | 66 - 74 - 66 - 70 |
276 |
-8 |
T6 |
Brooke M. Henderson | 65 - 67 - 69 - 75 |
276 |
-8 |
8 |
Lydia Ko | 66 - 68 - 66 - 77 |
277 |
-7 |
9 |
Georgia Hall | 73 - 66 - 69 - 70 |
278 |
-6 |
T10 |
Lexi Thompson | 67 - 69 - 73 - 70 |
279 |
-5 |
T10 |
Gaby Lopez | 69 - 68 - 69 - 73 |
279 |
-5 |
T12 |
In Gee Chun | 70 - 71 - 71 - 69 |
281 |
-3 |
T12 |
Annie Park | 68 - 70 - 73 - 70 |
281 |
-3 |
T14 |
Amy Yang | 75 - 69 - 69 - 69 |
282 |
-2 |
T14 |
Cristie Kerr | 72 - 72 - 67 - 71 |
282 |
-2 |
T16 |
Nasa Hataoka | 73 - 72 - 71 - 67 |
283 |
-1 |
T16 |
Marina Alex | 69 - 67 - 72 - 75 |
283 |
-1 |
T18 |
Danielle Kang | 68 - 74 - 70 - 72 |
284 |
E |
T18 |
Ariya Jutanugarn | 67 - 67 - 75 - 75 |
284 |
E |
T18 |
Mi Hyang Lee | 68 - 71 - 69 - 76 |
284 |
E |
21 |
Anna Nordqvist | 71 - 74 - 69 - 71 |
285 |
1 |
T22 |
Katherine Kirk | 73 - 72 - 71 - 70 |
286 |
2 |
T22 |
Brittany Lincicome | 71 - 72 - 70 - 73 |
286 |
2 |
24 |
Pernilla Lindberg | 77 - 70 - 68 - 72 |
287 |
3 |
25 |
Sei Young Kim | 69 - 69 - 73 - 77 |
288 |
4 |
26 |
Thidapa Suwannapura | 68 - 69 - 79 - 76 |
292 |
8 |