Despite the weather dominating the headlines in the past 24 hours, the spotlight shifted to Soo Bin Joo. In a remarkable display of resilience, Joo overcame a four-shot deficit to clinch her first Epson Tour victory at the Island Resort Championship. With a stellar 3-under 69, she not only secured her maiden victory but also catapulted to the 6th position in the Race for the Card standings, marking a significant milestone in her career as we approach the halfway mark of the season.
As Joo embarked on her second round, which doubled as her final round, she was met with challenging conditions. The wind was gusting, and the course was soft, presenting a stark contrast to her first round. However, the 20-year-old, playing at Sweetgrass Golf Club for the first time, displayed a level of familiarity. Navigating the front nine with precision, she carded eight pars and a birdie, bringing her within two shots of the lead as she headed into the back nine.
The back nine was where Joo's round truly came alive. A birdie on No. 12 was offset by a bogey on No. 15, her only misstep of the day. However, the final three holes saw a resurgence from the Republic of Korea native, as she played them in 2-under, finishing her round with a share of the lead. This put the pressure on Anne Chen, who had held the 18-hole lead but faltered with a double-bogey on No. 15, relinquishing her lead for the first time all week. Despite Chen's efforts, she was unable to catch Joo, who went on to secure her first professional victory.
"I just still can't believe that I won this tournament. It was pretty weird because of the weather yesterday, it was really windy, and I am just glad that I won, actually," said Joo. "I pretty much knew what I needed to shoot, but I was trying to focus on my game most of all. I think that actually worked well."
The standout performance of the day came from Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden. Making only her third start as a professional on the Epson Tour, the former world amateur No. 1 showcased her wealth of experience. With an impressive six birdies and no bogeys, she carded a 6-under 66, propelling her into a tie for second place.
"I think that was great for me because I felt pretty defeated after the U.S. Women's Open and then the first weeks on Epson," explained Lindblad. "I think sitting around all day yesterday was pretty goodfor me, actually. We kind of went down yesterday and just hit putts for about half an hour, we didn't do anything crazy. And then, I felt like I was having more fun on the range. It was blowing a little bit more today, but I just tried to take one shot at a time and kind of just hit the fairway, hit the green, and I got a couple of short birdie putts, so that helped a lot."
As the Midwest stretch of the Epson Tour concludes, the excitement is already building for the next event-the Dream First Bank Charity Classic in Garden City, Kansas. With a field of 144 players vying for a share of the $237,500 purse and the crucial 500 Race for the Card points, the stage is set for another thrilling competition.
IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE WITH SOO BIN JOO
Hometown/Resides: Seoul, Republic of Korea/Los Angeles, California
Age: 20
Qualified for the Epson Tour: Finished T34 at Final Qualifying during 2022 LPGA Qualifying Series to earn LPGA Tour and Epson Tour membership for the 2023 season
Rookie Year: 2023
| Category | |
|---|---|
| 2024 Race for the Card Rank | 6 |
| 2024 Race for the Card Points | 728.867 |
| 2024 Epson Tour Wins | 1 |
| 2024 Epson Tour Top 10s | 2 |
| 2024 Season Earnings | $58,346 |
| Career LPGA Tour Top 10s | 1 |
| LPGA Tour Career Money | $129,741 |
| Career Epson Tour Wins | 1 |
| Career Epson Tour Top 10s | 3 |
| Epson Tour Career Money | $66,933 |
OF NOTE
- The 2024 Island Resort Championship is Joo’s first Epson Tour victory
- The win moves her to No. 6 in the Race for the Card
- This is her sixth event of the season
- She has made all six cuts
- Her best previous finish was T8 at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
- She has played 19 events on the LPGA Tour
- Her best finish was T6 at the 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic
- Joo made her professional debut at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open
QUICK QUOTES
Kaleigh Telfer (-7, T2) on jumping over 30 spots and into the top 5:
“The first two days on my first hole, I just got off to a bad start, and Riley, my caddie, actually kept me in it and said that we just have to be patient out there and manage my expectations. I think I did that pretty well. I came back with a couple of birdies yesterday before the rain and, to sleep on two under wasn't too bad after the conditions. Just today I knew I had to come out firing, and that's exactly what I did.”
Kim Kaufman (-7, T2) on another strong finish after the long delay:
“That was that was a long delay, actually one of the longest I've had in recent memory. Last week I really struggled with my putting, and I noticed that turned around, but I would say I lost my swing a little bit out here. I didn't hit very well today. I was just trying to hang on and get in the clubhouse. So, I we'll do a little bit of work to do before Kansas, but I am happy with the week.”
Michelle Zhang (-6, T7) on her bogey-free 3-under round:
“So going into the week, I had a pretty good top five finish last week and that just gave me a lot of confidence going into the week. I only had, like, nine holes left today. Kind of you know, like, every hole I play is like one less hole for me to get back into the tournament. I just kind of tried to make as many birdies as possible before the day ended.”
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