Ji watched the leaderboard from start to finish on Championship Sunday. Standing over her birdie putt on the challenging par-4 18th, Ji knew that the worst she could do was a Monday playoff, "Right before hitting the putt, I was nervous to the point where my hands were shaking," Ji commented after her victory. "On the green, I knew the worst possible scenario was the playoff, so I cleared my mind and thought, you know, let's give it a try, and then it just sunk in. Just went in."
The victory at the 2009 U.S. Women's Open capped Ji's best year on the LPGA Tour. She carded four other top-10s that season and finished 13th on the LPGA money list.
Ji has struggled at the Majors in 2010, finishing T-75 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and missing the cut at the LPGA Championship Presented by Wegmans. However, she heads to Oakmont this week on the heels of her best finish of the season. Carding scores of 69-67 on the weekend, Ji landed in a tie for 17th at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger.
In 2008, Ji became a Rolex First-Time winner at the Wegmans LPGA, logged seven other top-10s and finished 15th on the money list with a scoring average of 71.47. Ji was an LPGA rookie in 2007. In four events played during her rookie campaign, she carded two top-10s, including a second-place finish at the Hana Bank - Kolon Championship. Prior to qualifying for the LPGA Tour, Ji competed on the KLPGA with four top-10 finishes. She turned professional in 2004 after winning the Korean Women's Amateur Championship.
Topics: Tournament Preview, US Women's Open
