Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America
Tranquilo Golf Course | Orlando, Fla. | Jan. 17-20, 2019
Fourth-Round Notes
Jan. 20, 2019
Course Setup: 34-37—71, 6,368 yards (R4 scoring average: 71.769)
Weather: Early morning showers and thunderstorms before daybreak. Mostly cloudy, windy and cooler. Temperatures fell into the upper 50s after 3 p.m. Winds were from the west at 10-15 mph and increasing to 20-25 mph, with gusts to 35 mph.
Media Contacts: Christina Lance (908-963-1691); Brianne Wigley (386-341-7331); Kristen Yoon (386-795-1794)
Quick Links:
- Leaderboard
- Transcripts
- Online Media Center (groupings, statistics, hole locations, yardages, etc.)
- Monday Box (points structures for the 2019 LPGA Tour season and the DRTOC purse breakdown)
LPGA LEADERBOARD
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Player
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To Par
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Score
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1
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Eun-Hee Ji
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-14
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65-69-66-70
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2
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Mirim Lee
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-12
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67-68-69-68
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3
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Nelly Korda
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-11
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70-67-65-71
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CELEBRITY LEADERBOARD
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Player
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Points
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Scores
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1
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John Smoltz
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+149
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34-43-39-33
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2
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Mark Mulder
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+146
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37-35-40-34
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3
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Mardy Fish
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+140
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39-39-33-29
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JI WINS INAUGURAL TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Eun-Hee Ji became the first LPGA Tour player to have her name etched on the trophy for the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America. The 32-year-old from the Republic of Korea, who now makes her home in Southern Florida, shot a final-round 70 to capture the inaugural tournament at 14-under 270, a two-stroke advantage over her countrywoman Mirim Lee (-12). American Nelly Korda (-11) rounded out the top three.
“This is my first event for this kind of event. It was really, really fun,” said Ji, who played the final round alongside Lydia Ko (-7) and eventual celebrity champion John Smoltz. “I love this tournament. Actually, with celebrities, they're really funny, and they make me laugh every hole. It was just fun. I was just having fun with them. This tournament is great.”
At 32 years, 8 months and 7 days of age, Ji is the oldest winner from the Republic of Korea since Se Ri Pak won the 2010 Bell Micro LPGA Classic at 32 years, 7 months and 18 days of age. This also marks the third consecutive season that Ji has won an LPGA Tour event. Prior to 2017, her last wins came in 2008 and 2009.
Ji is the LPGA Tour’s first Tournament of Champions winner since 2007, when Paula Creamer won The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions. This week’s tournament included 26 LPGA Tour winners from the 2017 and 2018 season, along with 49 celebrities and 10 amateurs.
WEATHER DERAILED JI EARLY, BUT CHAMPION QUICK TO REBOUND
With temperatures never getting above the mid-50s and wind gusts up to 35 mph, it was a day to survive at Tranquilo Golf Course. Champion Eun-Hee Ji, who entered the final round tied atop the leaderboard with Lydia Ko, stumbled to opening bogeys at the first two holes.
“It was a little bit chilly for me today,” said Ji. “My body was a little bit tight on the first tee, so I just pulled a little bit, and I made a bogey.”
But ever the seasoned champion, Ji knew that there was more to her round than just two bogeys.
“I made a bogey again on the second hole. I was like, okay, wait a minute. I need to play (through) this,” said Ji. “I have like 16 more holes, and I just trusted my swing actually after that.”
KORDA PICKS UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
The Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions featured 26 LPGA champions including eight Americans, but on Sunday it was the youngest American in 20-year old Nelly Korda who challenged Eun-Hee Ji and began her third season on the LPGA with a solo third-place finish.
Korda was one of 10 Rolex First-Time Winner’s during the 2018 LPGA season when she picked up a victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in late October. She then posted a T19 finish at the TOTO Japan Classic and a runner-up finish in the season finale CME Group Tour Championship to head into the offseason on a high note.
Korda said she mainly focused on fitness during the offseason and getting her body ready for a full LPGA slate in 2019. “It’s good to know that what I worked on in the offseason with my coach has kind of paid off this week,” she said. “And still we have the whole year to go. So you never know what's going to happen, but I'm just going to take it shot by shot and try to work on consistency this year.”
Korda was all smiles as she finished an even par final round on Sunday, and said her smile was due to the unique nature of the event playing alongside celebrities. “I loved it,” she said. “That's all I have to say. All these people are so down to earth. I had a blast.”
SMOLTZ WINS CELEBRITY COMPETITION
MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz, an exceptional golfer who qualified for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open, captured the celebrity portion of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. Despite struggling with three bogeys and a double-bogey on his inward nine, the Fox TV analyst finished at +149 and took a three-point win over fellow All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder(+146). Two-time celebrity champion Mardy Fish finished third with 140 points.
“The conditions today were brutal and hard, and you had to grind, and I learned a lot from just my past year of qualifying for the Senior Open,” said Smoltz, who won his first major competitive tournament. “That, to me, has prepared me to kind of grind out a game. I'm not even close to where I want to be, but I'm getting closer.”
The celebrity competition was played with a Modified Stableford scoring system. A double eagle earns 10 points, an ace earns eight points, an eagle earns five points, a birdie earns three points, a par earns two points, a bogey earns one points and a double bogey or higher earns zero points.
LEADERS TOP 10 COMPETITION
The LEADERS Top 10 competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top-10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. In the event of a tie in total top-10 finishes, the award will go to the player with the most official wins, followed by most second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc., until the tie is broken.
The LEADERS Top 10 competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top-10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. In the event of a tie in total top-10 finishes, the award will go to the player with the most official wins, followed by most second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc., until the tie is broken.
With a two-way tie for 10th, 11 players finished in the top 10 at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, led by winner Eun-Hee Ji.
CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE – SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE
The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group will donate $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2019, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
There were no holes-in-one at the 2019 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
WHO’S IN THE DIAMOND RESORTS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS FIELD
26 LPGA Tour Winners from 2017 and 2018
Marina Alex (2018 Cambia Portland Classic), In Gee Chun (2018 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship), Shanshan Feng (2017 LPGA Volvik Championship, 2017 TOTO Japan Classic, 2017 Blue Bay LPGA), Georgia Hall (2018 Ricoh Women’s British Open), Nasa Hataoka (2018 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, 2018 TOTO Japan Classic), Brooke Henderson (2017 Meijer LPGA Classic, 2017 MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open, 2018 LOTTE Championship, 2018 CP Women’s Open), Eun-Hee Ji (2017 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship, 2018 Kia Classic), Ariya Jutanugarn (2017 Manulife LPGA Classic, 2017 CME Group Tour Championship, 2018 Kingsmill Championship, 2018 U.S. Women’s Open, 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open), Moriya Jutanugarn (2018 HUGEL-JTBC LA Open), Danielle Kang (2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai), Cristie Kerr(2017 LOTTE Championship, 2017 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia), Sei Young Kim (2017 Lorena Ochoa Match, 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic), Katherine Kirk (2017 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic), Lydia Ko (2018 LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship), Nelly Korda (2018 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship), Mi Hyang Lee (2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open), Mirim Lee (2017 Kia Classic), Stacy Lewis (2017 Cambia Portland Classic), Brittany Lincicome (2017 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, 2018 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic), Pernilla Lindberg (2018 ANA Inspiration), Gaby Lopez (2018 Blue Bay LPGA), Anna Nordqvist (2017 Bank of Hope Founders Cup, 2017 The Evian Championship), Annie Park(2018 ShopRite LPGA Classic), Thidapa Suwannapura (2018 Marathon Classic), Lexi Thompson (2017 Kingsmill Championship, 2017 Indy Women in Tech Championship, 2018 CME Group Tour Championship), Amy Yang (2017 Honda LPGA Thailand)
49 Celebrities
Marcus Allen, Ray Allen, Josh Beckett, Lee Brice, Clay Buchholz, Roger Clemens, Richard Dent, Mark DeRosa, Josh Donaldson, Mardy Fish, Michael Flaskey, Colt Ford, Terry Francona, Eric Gagne, Tom Glavine, Denny Hamlin, John Hart, Danny Kanell, Toby Keith, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Ryan Longwell, Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux, Brian McCann, Kevin Millar, Mark Mulder, Phil Nevin, Bud Norris, Blair O’Neal, Carson Palmer, Patrick Peterson, Chad Pfeifer, AJ Pierzynski, Alfonso Ribeiro, Willie Robertson, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeremy Roenick, Joe Don Rooney, Mark Rypien, Sterling Sharpe, John Smoltz, Cole Swindell, Joe Theismann, Brian Urlacher, Jack Wagner, Tim Wakefield, Michael Waltrip, Larry the Cable Guy
