Page 36 - Golf Champion - June 2022

[LPGA TOUR]

Ayaka Furue

"The conditions were very difficult," said the 22-year-old
rookie. “I had to use my head a lot in the strong wind.
It was a very demanding race, not only physically, but
also mentally " Ji scores a 1up on hole 3, but hits two
bogeys on the first two PAR 5s and falls behind one hole
on the 7. She scores a birdie on the PAR 3 of the eighth
hole and draws the match.
An eagle on the 9th hole and a win on the 10th hole put
her ahead by 2 points. The match play ends, therefore,
at hole 16, with a bogey from Furue that seals the victory
of the South Korean champion. In the windy morning
semifinals, Ji beat Andrea Lee by 4 to 3 and Furue topped
Lilia Vu by 2 to 1.
In determining 3rd place, Vu beat Lee 4 to 2, achieving
the best career result for the former UCLA player on
the Tour. The Bank of Hope match play kicks off five
consecutive weeks of matches in which the best female
players in the world will also compete in two major

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