In one of the biggest upsets of the quarterfinals on Saturday, Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn took down two-time LPGA Tour winner Carlota Ciganda, defeating the Spaniard 3 and 2 to advance to the semifinals for the first time at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards.
Anannarukarn opened strong, winning the first and fourth holes to take an early 2-up lead, but Ciganda retaliated, taking the 5th with a par to get back to 1 down and then holing out for eagle on the par-5, 9th to tie things up. Ciganda flipped the match with a birdie on the par-4, 11th, but Anannarukarn wasn’t about to go quietly. She won No. 12 with a par to square the match and then went par-birdie-par to take a 3-up advantage with three holes to play. Ultimately, all it took was a par for Anannarukarn to claim her fourth victory of the week and move on to the semifinal matches on Sunday morning.
“It was a great round on the second 18. It was obviously very tiring for me because I didn't really get to play 36 holse this much, so it was a great learning experience as well. I feel like my body started to feel a little numb on the 5th and 6th, so glad I was able to follow it all the way to the 16,” said Anannarukarn. “I think she played great after that eagle on the 9th, so it was a very close match. I just tried to really focus on my game. Again, just trying to play one shot at a time and not trying to get myself ahead of myself too much.”
This is Anannarukarn’s ninth start of the 2023 season, and in her eight previous LPGA Tour appearances, she’s missed one cut and only managed to record two top-20 finishes, a pair of T18s at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and DIO Implant LA Open. As she looks ahead to another grueling day of match-play with 36 potential holes on tap, the Thai is doing her best to remain positive despite the challenging conditions, something that has worked well for her so far this week.
“I really stayed patient out there and I think it worked out for me,” Anannarukarn said. “I just kind of kept telling myself to stay patient again because it's hot out here and everyone is going to be tired, everyone is going to feel the same. So that's what I do and I try to stay positive as much as I can.”
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