Defending Shanshan Feng's Concession

It’s never a great look when a player WD’s from an event without an injury excuse, but in Shanshan Feng’s case it seems she made the right call to pass up the consolation match.

The Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play is a new event at Shadow Creek and it’s not off to a super start. The event was added in February and poorly scheduled by the LPGA. Going from match play in near 100-degree weather to San Francisco for the U.S. Women’s Open was not a great call, particularly with an LPGA event at nearby Lake Merced Golf Club the week after the Open (a great pre-U.S. Women’s Open test).

GolfDigest.com’s Kent Paisley noted many other elements that justify Feng’s decision to pass on the consolation match and the chance to win an additional $23,000.

Feng played a total of 112 holes over five days, more than anyone in the tournament. On Saturday alone she played 41 holes, outlasting her opponents in extra holes in both the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

Afterward, Feng confessed that she was so tired she thought about potentially dropping out of the event mid-match.

“There were quite a few times when I was on the course I was like, You know what, you've tried your best already. Yeah, maybe you just … you don't have to give it your 100 percent. You know, if you make any mistakes, it’s acceptable,” Feng said Saturday.

Also noteworthy for those who would argue this was unfair to the sponsor or television: Golf Channel opted to show two Playing Lessons reruns and a rebroadcast of the European Tour’s final round instead of the semi-final matches (either live or tape-delayed).