Soo Bin Joo Wins the Island Resort Championship from Four-Shots Back
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