Ji holds off Pettersen at Wegmans LPGA to become season's fourth Rolex First-Time Winner

6/23/2008

South Korean Eun-Hee Ji (70-71-64-67=272, -16) became the fourth Rolex First-Time Winner of the 2008 LPGA Tour season at the Wegmans LPGA as she held off Rolex Rankings' number three and five-time Tour winner Suzann Pettesen (70-65-67-72=272, -14) by two strokes.

In addition to a winner's check of $300,000, the 22-year-old became the fifth player to make the Wegmans LPGA her first LPGA Tour victory, and also became the seventh player in the history of the event to win at Locust Hill Country Club in her first attempt.

Pettersen entered Sunday's final round with a three stroke lead over Ji, Inbee Park (68-68-69-74=279, -9) and Morgan Pressel (69-65-71-75=280, -8), but Pressel fell out of contention with four bogeys in her first six holes, leaving Pettersen, Ji and Park to fight it out while playing in the final group. Ji caught Pettersen after four holes, as she began the day with a birdie and carded back-to-back subpars on three and four while Pettersen bogeyed two and then birdied four.

Pettersen regained her one-stroke lead on the fifth hole when Ji bogeyed, and she climbed to a two-stroke lead by adding a birdie on eight.

Ji and Pettersen traded birdies on the 10th and 11th holes, respectively, and then did the same with a pair of bogeys on holes 12 and 13. While Pettersen carded her bogey on 13 as a result of two-putting from 15 feet on the par-4, 386-yard hole, Ji collected her fifth birdie of the day to climb back within one stroke.

Leaderboard – Final:

1.  Eun-Hee Ji                      70 71 64 67 281 -16
2.  Suzann Pettersen            70 65 67 72 274 -14
3.  Jeong Jang                     68 71 69 68 276 -12
     Hee-Won Han                 69 74 64 69 276 -12
5.  Cristie Kerr                      68 70 70 69 277 -11
6.  Christina Kim                   71 67 73 68 279 - 9
     Lorena Ochoa                  72 70 68 69 279 - 9
     Ai Miyazato                      68 68 71 72 279 - 9
     Inbee Park                      68 68 69 74 279 - 9
10. Paula Creamer                74 69 68 69 280 - 8
     Morgan Pressel                69 65 71 75 280 - 8

Source: AP, LPGA Tour