'Mak Unni' Ji Eun-hee "Regretful, 2nd Place by 1 Stroke"... Hataoka Cheers for 2 Wins

Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Final Day: Minji Lee Ties for 2nd at 4 Under, Jin Young Ko Ties for 6th, So Yeon Ryu Ties for 8th

Jieunhee is teeing off on the 1st hole on the final day of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae] It is the runner-up finish for the 'eldest sister' Ji Eun-hee (35, Hanwha Q CELLS).

On the 27th (Korean time), at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, USA (par 71, 6,438 yards), Ji Eun-hee finished the final day of the LPGA Tour Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (total prize money $2.3 million) with a 4-under-par round, tying for 2nd place (15-under-par 198) alongside major Evian Championship winner Minjee Lee (Australia). Nasa Hataoka (Japan) secured the victory by one stroke with 5 birdies and 1 bogey, finishing at 16-under-par 197.

Starting from 3rd place, one stroke behind, Ji Eun-hee showcased flawless play with 1 eagle and 2 birdies. After maintaining par for 8 holes, she made her first birdie on the 9th hole (par 4), then demonstrated her resilience by making an eagle with a '2-on 1-putt' on the 14th hole (par 5). On the final 18th hole (par 5), although her second shot landed in a bunker, she skillfully rolled the putt close to the hole and added another birdie. She relied on her accuracy, missing the fairway and green only three times each.

This marks her second 'top 10' finish of the season following a tie for 5th at the Bank of Hope Match Play in May. Ji Eun-hee is a seasoned veteran who debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2007 and has accumulated five career wins. She claimed her first U.S. victory at the 2008 Wegmans LPGA and made history by winning the 2009 U.S. Women's Open major championship. After enduring a long 'win drought,' she made a spectacular comeback by winning the 2017 Swinging Skirts tournament after eight years.

She holds the record as the oldest Korean winner with victories at the 2018 Kia Classic and the 2019 Diamond Resorts Tournament at 32 years, 7 months, and 18 days old. Hataoka's strong start was highlighted by consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, and additional birdies on holes 4 and 7. This is her second win of the season and fifth career victory, coming two months after her Marathon Classic win in July, with a winner's prize of $345,000 (approximately 400 million KRW). Minjee Lee, who was co-leader the previous day, settled for runner-up with a 3-under-par round.

From Korea, world No. 2 Ko Jin-young (26) improved by 4 strokes to finish tied for 6th (12-under-par 201), continuing her strong form with back-to-back 'top 6' finishes following her second win of the season and ninth career victory at last week's Cambia Portland Classic. So-yeon Ryu surged to tied 8th (11-under-par 202) with a daily best 9-under-par round. Jeong-eun Lee6 (25, Daebang Construction) and Un-jung Choi (31, Volvik) also tied for 8th, while In-ji Jeon (27, KB Financial Group) finished tied for 16th (10-under-par 203).