Tournament of Champions: Eun-Hee Ji wins LPGA Tour season opener
England's Georgia Hall finishes in ninth spot in Orlando
Sunday 20 January 2019 23:06, UK
Eun-Hee Ji secured her fifth LPGA Tour title with a two-shot win in the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
The South Korean capitalised on a back-nine collapse from playing partner Lydia Ko to post a one-under 70 in cold and windy conditions at Tranquilo Golf Club in Orlando.
Ji finished on 14 under and two clear of nearest challenger Mirim Lee, with Nelly Korda four strokes back in third ahead of Moriya Jutanugarn and Shanshan Feng.
Beginning the day tied for the lead with Ko, Ji recovered from bogeying her opening two holes to post back-to-back birdies from the third but dropped another shot at the par-four sixth.
Ko bogeyed the eighth to reach the turn tied with Ji, only to slip out of contention after double-bogeying the 13th and dropping three shots over the final two holes of her back-nine 42.
Ji moved ahead with a birdie on the par-five 13th and cancelled out a blemish at the 15th with a three-foot gain at the next, before seeing out her victory with pars over the closing holes.
Stacy Lewis, making her first appearance since giving birth in October, finished in tied-sixth, while Georgia Hall ended the week in ninth spot after a final-round 70.
