LPGA Match-Play: Eun-Hee Ji sails through to semi-finals in Las Vegas, Andrea Lee ends Gemma Dryburgh hopes | Golf News

Eun-Hee Ji puts in a near-perfect display to earn surprise quarter-final win over Madelene Sagstrom at LPGA Match-Play event in Las Vegas; Andrea Lee needs two playoff holes to dispatch upstart Gemma Dryburgh

Eun-Hee Ji on the fourth hole at Shadow Creek on Saturday

South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji didn’t lose a hole as she defeated Madelene
Sagstrom in the quarter-finals of the LPGA Match-Play event in Las Vegas.

The match ended after the 12th hole at Shadow Creek Golf Course, so early Ji did not even realise the match was over until her caddie told her.

“I didn’t know that was my last hole, so I was thinking like, Oh, I really tired like from now, and then, OK, I need more focus because I want to get quicker,” Ji said.

Every other quarter-final match was decided in a playoff.

Lilia Vu beat Jenny Shin of South Korea on the second playoff hole, Japan’s Ayaka Furue defeated Jodi Ewart Shadoff on the fourth playoff hole, while Andrea Lee needed two playoff holes to dispatch upstart Gemma Dryburgh.

The 64-player field was divided into 16 groups of four in a round-robin group stage that ended Friday. The group winners advanced to a 16-player, single-elimination bracket. The eight players in the quarters advanced from the knockout stage earlier in the day.

Ji will play Lee in Sunday’s semis while Furue draws Vu.

Ayaka Furue also reached the last four in Las Vegas

Furue said she was more mentally drained than physically.

“Coming into the back nine, I was 4-down and so it was pretty mentally draining having to rely on trying to get some birdies and give myself enough opportunities get those birdies, so I would say that’s why it’s so mentally draining,” Furue said.

Lee ended the Cinderella run of Dryburgh, who gained entry into the field Tuesday night. Dryburgh bolted to a three-up lead and led two-up at the turn.

“You can’t really expect your opponent make mistakes. You’ve got to tell yourself that you need to be the one to make the birdies and the putts,” said Lee. “That’s what we both did coming down the stretch.”