Ally Ewing wins Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek
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by Preston Smith
After weeks of the same top-six Americans shuffling for position in the women’s Olympic Golf Ranking, Ally Ewing entered the conversation with a win at the inaugural Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek.
“It’s super special today,” said Ewing who earned a 2-and-1 victory in the final match over Sophia Popov. “A unique format – I love match play – and it was just an unforgettable week from start to finish. How we were treated this week, it was just unbelievable. To cap it off with a win on our one-year wedding anniversary is pretty great.”
The win was Ewing’s second of her career after a breakthrough at last fall’s LPGA Drive On Championship - Reynolds Lake Oconee.
“It was exhausting,” reflected Ewing who made a 62-foot putt at the 14th hole to spur her final match. “I think I was limping in on the finish line really. Fatigue was definitely a factor. Four rounds of stroke play, 18, 18, 18, 18 is a grueling week, especially if you're in contention. This week was unlike any other. I'm definitely going to have to tape up the feet I think for another week, but well worth it.”
The Mississippi State alum moved to the fifth-ranked American in the Olympic Golf Ranking in the final month before the Ranking is finalized on June 28 after the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. The top-15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics in Tokyo this summer, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top-15. At 16th in the Olympic Golf Ranking, Ewing sits on the outside looking in at the top-four Americans (Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda).
