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Golf roundup: Ji survives cold and wind to win LPGA Tour opener
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Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea left the mistakes to everyone else down the stretch in the LPGA Tour season opener.
Ji managed a strong wind and temperatures in the 50s on Sunday by making three birdies on the back nine to pull away and close with a 1-under 70, giving her a two-shot victory in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Ji got her mistakes out of the way early, opening with two bogeys to fall behind Lydia Ko. The 32-year-old South Korean took the lead for good with a birdie on the 10th hole at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons, and she stayed in front the rest of the way.
“It was a little bit chilly for me today. My body was a little bit tight on first tee, so I just pulled a little bit, and I made a bogey,” she said. “I made a bogey again second hole. I was like, ‘OK, wait a minute. I need to play this.’ But I have like 16 more holes, and I just trust my swing after that.”
Ko was one shot behind when she pulled her tee shot on the par-5 13th and never found it, and then compounded the error with a three-putt for a double bogey. Ko made double bogey on the closing hole for a 42 on the back nine and a 77.
Ji finished at 14-under 270 to win by two over Mirim Lee, who made only one bogey in her round of 68. Nelly Korda (71) finished third.
“I just enjoyed my game with my celebrity partners,” Ji said. “It makes it more fun and I relaxed more. So I didn’t get nervous.”
The LPGA opener was limited to winners over the last two seasons. It also included a celebrity field of athletes and entertainers who competed for a $500,000 purse using the modified Stableford scoring system.
Lowry holds on: Shane Lowry made birdie on the last hole to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Abu Dhabi Championship. If only it were that simple.
His three-shot lead to start the final round Saturday was gone in three holes. When he walked off the 11th green with his fourth bogey of the round, Lowry found himself trailing Richard Sterne by four shots with seven holes to play.
The 31-year-old Irishman showed plenty of fight the rest of the way and delivered his best full swing when he needed it. Lowry hit 3-wood onto the green at the par-5 18th and two-putted for birdie and a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory.
Lowry won for the first time since he captured the World Golf Championship at Firestone in the summer of 2015.