Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn defeated Japan’s Ayaka Furue 3&1 in Sunday’s LPGA Match-Play final to capture her second career Tour title.
World No 97 Pajaree improved to 6-1 for the week at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada, while 18th-ranked Furue settled for a second consecutive runner-up finish in the event.
“It was a great week and I’m definitely happy about everything,” Pajaree said. “I just try to improve on my game in every possible way and just keep believing.
“I tried really hard to focus on myself. I missed a couple putts. I’m glad I was able to play decent enough.”
Pajaree, a four-time winner on the Thailand tour, took her only prior LPGA victory at the 2021 Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland.
“Definitely a different feeling compared to the stroke play,” she said. “Match play is taking a lot of energy out throughout the week.
“When I won in Northern Ireland I continued playing great golf until early 2022. I’m trying to figure it out. Golf, sometimes it’s hard.”
In the morning semi-finals, Pajaree won four of the last eight holes to defeat Sweden’s Linn Grant 3&1 while Furue ousted Ireland’s Leona Maguire 2&1.
Pajaree, traveling without her father for the first time, made 12 birdies in 34 holes on the final day, eight of them in the semi-final.
“I used all my birdies and all my focus on the first 18,” Pajaree said.
Furue, who lost 3&2 to South Korea’s Ji Eun-hee in last year’s final, is an eight-time Japan Tour winner who took her only LPGA title at last year’s Women’s Scottish Open.
“In match play, I gain more confidence about my play,” Furue said through a translator after her only loss in seven matches. “That will be this week’s gain.”
In the final, Furue won the second and Pajaree took the third with pars. Pajaree parred to win the par-three 5th and, after Furue won the 6th with a birdie, the Thai standout birdied the par-five 7th for a 1 up edge.
Pajaree birdied the par-four 12th for a 2 up advantage but Furue answered by dropping her approach inches from the hole to win the par-three 13th and pull back within one.
Pajaree responded by putting her second shot inches from the hole for a birdie concession at 14 to restore her 2 up edge, then tied 15 with a bogey and 16 with a par.
At the par-three 17th, Pajaree reached the green and Furue found a bunker. She blasted out with a shot that struck the hole and rolled well beyond, then surrendered the hole and the triumph to Pajaree.
In the semis, 19th-ranked Maguire and Furue each won two of the first five holes with pars. Birdies at 6 and 7 lifted Maguire 2 up but Furue answered with an eagle at the par-five 9th and a birdie at the par-four 10th to pull level.
A day after her 23rd birthday, Furue won the 12th with a par, took the par-four 15th with a bogey and tied 16 and 17 with pars to advance.
Pajaree, who turns 24 on Tuesday, birdied the first two holes to go 2 up, but world No 22 Grant birdied the par-five 7th and eagled the par-five 9th to pull level.
The Thai standout birdied 10, parred 12 and birdied 14 to go 3 up. Grant birdied the par-five 16th but Pajaree took the par-three 17th with a par to advance.
© Agence France-Presse
