Eun-Hee Ji and John Smoltz take honors at 2019 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions
On a cold and windy day at Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Eun-Hee Ji (pictured above) of South Korea won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions by two shots on Sunday afternoon in the LPGA Tour season opener.
Ji shared the 54-hole lead with Lydia Ko (pictured above), who fell apart on the back nine at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons. Ko was one shot behind when she made double-bogey on the par-5 13th and wound up shooting 42 on the back nine for a closing 77.
Ji finished at 14-under 270 to win by two over Mirim Lee, who made only one bogey in her round of 68. Nelly Korda (71) finished third.“I just enjoyed my game with my celebrity partners.” said Ji. “It makes it more fun and I relaxed more so I didn’t get nervous.”
Former MLB pitcher John Smoltz won the celebrity portion of the event by three points over former All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder under a modified Stableford system. After the win he said: “I’m having a blast and if the opportunities are there I am going to look forward to playing in them. For me, if I can continue to get healthy…athletes are competition addicts and this helps fill the void of the competition I haven’t had in quite some time.”
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