Gabi Ruffels – a final round of 68 results in 6th place finish – file photo PGA of America
Australia’s Gabi Ruffels has produced one of best rounds of the day (68) in today’s final round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open to finish in a share of 6th and earn a cheque for US$54,000.
For the 24-year-old Ruffels, who is in her first season on the LPGA Tour, the finish takes her earnings for the 2024 season to US$708,000 and further emphasises the path she is on to a hugely successful career. It was her fourth top ten of the season to go with three 3rd place finishes earlier in the season.
Ruffels finished eight shots behind the winner, American Lauren Coughlin, who won her second event of the season after winning in Canada earlier.
Ruffels a former winner and runner-up in the Women’s US Amateur Championship, the only Australian to do so, spent a season on the secondary Epson Tour in 2023 after mistakenly failing to enter LPGA Tour qualifying in late 2022 but that season has clearly assisted her cause in building the confidence needed to have competed so well in what is now her rookie season in the big time.
The finish will ensure Ruffels, currently in second place, moves even closer to the current Rookie of the Year leader, Mao Saigo of Japan who finished 57th this week.
While the news was good for Ruffels, both Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee struggled in the heavy winds that buffeted the Dundonald Links and finished 9th and 12th respectively.
Ko’s round of 74 and Lee’s 78 cost them dearly although Loughlin’s four-shot victory ensured that everyone was facing an almost impossible task in round four.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Coughlin. “Two wins in three events is pretty crazy, but I just stuck in there, tried to stay as present as I could, and got some putts to drop at the end. If you would have told me, let alone beginning of this year, but beginning of last year, I wouldn’t believe this is what I’ve done and it’s incredible. It’s just how hard I’ve worked to get here, and it’s amazing.”
The LPGA and Ladies European Tours now head for St Andrews for the final major of the year in world golf, the AIG Open Championship at the Old Course.
