Ji Yuai secured her second China LPGA Tour victory of the year, winning the inaugural Fila Golf Women's Classic by two shots in challenging conditions.
BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- In a rush to finish the final round before the arrival of Tropical Storm Bebinca, China's Ji Yuai held it together in the wild and windy conditions to close with an even-par 72 and win the inaugural Fila Golf Women's Classic by two shots here on Sunday.
Amateur Tang Rongze finished runner-up after posting an even-par 72 playing in the final group, while Cai Danlin was third at four shots back after a three-under 69.
Ji, who becomes the first two-time winner on the China LPGA Tour this year after having won the Tianjin Women's Open in April, put together a steady round in the difficult conditions that included three birdies, a double-bogey six at the 359-yard fourth hole, followed by a bogey at the par-three next.
"It's great to enter the winner club again. But I haven't lost my game since Tianjin. It's just one or two little troublesome things that blocked the way to the winner's podium. I was confident going into this week. Since the first birdie in the first round, I became increasingly confident," said Ji.
"With the weather prediction, I knew we didn't have many options. I prepared for the shotgun start. With the winning experience, I knew it was a long day. Anything could happen," she added.
Tang, who was gunning for her first win against a pro field, lamented a missed opportunity after being tied with Ji through five holes. Her round featured three birdies offset by three bogeys.
"This is not a great round. I had a steady start, but my iron play wasn't great. I didn't have much birdie chances," said Tang, a 15-year-old from Qingdao. "This is my best finish on the China LPGA Tour, a great honor. But I can't help thinking that triumph was possible with a better score today." ■