Women golfer, Min A Yoon, takes Australasian Tour event
Min A Yoon – photo Australian Golf Media
The first PGA Tour of Australasia event of 2023 has been won by female golfer, Min A Yoon, the Korean’s final round of 63 earning her a one shot victory over local golfer James Marchesani with a further two shots back to 20 year old Gold Coast golfer, Elvis Smylie, David Micheluzzi and Nathan Barbieri.
It was an intense final round battle with as many as five players tied for the lead early in the second nine with Gold Coast golfer Smylie’s round of 64 giving him the clubhouse lead an hour or so ahead of the final group. Smylie, yet to win an event in his two year professional career, finished runner-up in this event two years ago before turning professional.
Yoon, Marchesani, Micheluzzi and Barbieri were still on the course however and it would be the 20 year old Yoon, ranked 813 in the Rolex World Ranking, who stamped her authority on the event with four birdies and an eagle early in her back nine to open a two shot lead.
Marchesani became Yoon’s biggest threat but he fell one short and finished runner-up on his own with a further two shots back to Smylie, Micheluzzi and Barbieri.
Yoon who plays the Futures Tour in the US without a lot of success, recording not one top twenty in 14 starts there in 2022, earns a very important A45,000 as her 18% of the 250,000 purse.
The event begins a series of events for the PGA Tour of Australasia in Australia and New Zealand over the next two months, the next of those being the TPS Murray River in honour of Jarrod Lyle event beginning this Thursday.
