Anannaru Kan "I'm the Match Queen"... Furue 'Runner-up for 2 Consecutive Years'

Bank of Hope Wins Match Play Final by 3 Holes
Maguire and Grant Share 3rd Place Without 3rd-4th Playoff

Pajaree Anannarukarn (Thailand) has become the 'Match Queen' of the U.S. Women's Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour.

Anannarukarn defeated Ayaka Furue (Japan) by 3 holes in the final of the LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play (total prize money $1.5 million) held on the 28th (local time) at Shadow Creek Golf Club (par 72) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This marks Anannarukarn's second career victory, coming two years after her first win at the 2021 Honda World Invitational. The winner's prize money is $225,000 (approximately 300 million KRW).

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Anannarukarn is the first Thai player this year to collect a winner's trophy. She is the fifth Thai player to achieve two or more wins. Anannarukarn expressed her emotions, saying, "Golf is not easy to recover from slumps. I tried every possible way to improve my performance," and added, "Not losing faith led to this victory."

Furue was satisfied with her runner-up finish for the second consecutive year. She had a perfect 6-0 record up to the semifinals against Leona Maguire (Ireland) but could not overcome the final hurdle. Since there was no third-place playoff in this tournament, Linn Grant (Sweden) and Maguire shared third place.