Auston Kim needed some fireworks at the Epson Tour Championship to secure an LPGA card for 2024. She shot 7-under 29 on the front nine to get the sparks flying, and then made birdie on the final hole to win by two and vault into the top 10 on the money list.
“We talked all year about if we do the right things, if I create good habits, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” said Kim, who entered the week No. 15 on the money list and ended it No. 3.
When the Tour Championship kicked off Thursday, three players had already clinched their LPGA cards for 2024: Gabriela Ruffels, Natasha Andrea Oon and Jiwon Jeon.
When the dust settled in Daytona Beach, Florida, eight of the 10 players who entered the week in the top 10 maintained their spots. Becca Huffer (No. 9) and Jenny Bae (No. 10) were the two who dropped out.
Huffer ultimately finished 11th on the money list, with $1,700 less than Kristen Gillman. The 33-year-old Huffer tied for 12th at the Tour Championship and closed with a 65.
A total of nine players broke the $100,000 mark in season earnings, five more than any other year in the developmental tour’s history.
Find out more about the card winners for the 2023 Epson Tour season:
Gabriela Ruffels of Australia hits her tee shot on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2023 Epson Tour Championship at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo: Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
After missing the sign-up deadline for LPGA Q-School last winter, Gabriela Ruffels found herself back on the Epson Tour for another season. Ruffels made the most of it, winning three times to claim the tour’s money title in only 13 starts with $159,926. The former tennis player who took up golf late won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She led the Epson Tour in scoring with a 69.85 average.
Natasha Andrea Oon celebrates a shot on the Epson Tour. (Courtesy photo Ben Harpring)
The former San Jose State player wasted no time in making her mark on the professional scene. After four runner-up showings this season, the rookie Oon broke through with her her first victory last month at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout. Malaysia’s Oon received the 2021-2022 Juli Inkster Senior Award.
Auston Kim checks the wind on the Epson Tour. (courtesy photo)
Kim came into the Tour Championship 15th on the money list and vaulted to third with her first Epson victory and a $37,500 winner’s check….
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