Following the morning’s semifinal round, Shanshan Feng chose to concede the consolation match, giving third place to her opponent Ariya Jutanugarn. Feng cited the heat and conserving her energy for next week’s major championship as reasons behind her decision.
“I think I made the right decision for myself because I'm really, really tired after finishing six rounds in five days, let's say four and a half days,” said Feng. “If I play 18 more, I don't know how I will do. I might fall over on the course. I don't think I should push myself that bad. You know, if I got in the top two, of course, yes, I would play until I fall down on the course. But I lost the match in the morning, and I think it's better idea just to get rested after this. And then next week is the U.S. Open coming up. It's a very hilly and challenging course, so, yeah, I just want to be well-rested and protect myself.”
Feng won her Wednesday match on the 17th hole, her only match that did not reach No. 18. Two of her matches went to extra holes, including a 22-hole marathon victory over Brittany Altomare in the Round of 16. In total through the semifinals, Feng played 112 holes across six matches and sudden-death playoffs, compared to 105 for Ewing, 99 for Popov and 96 for Jutanugarn.
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