NZ Golfer's Overseas -Julia Hung, Alker, Fox, Long, Campbell
Juliana Hung’s rookie professional season is off to a great start in Taiwan.
Hung has won on the Taiwan Ladies PGA (TLPGA) for the second time this year, winning the Sampo Ladies Open by three shots over the weekend. She also won the Kenda Tire TLPGA Open just over a month ago.
The Sampo Open was played at Taipei Golf Club over three rounds. Hung, ranked 625th in the world rankings, carded rounds of 75, 74, and 68 to storm home and take the victory.
She started the final day two shots behind the leader and played a flawless round of golf to secure her second title. With the leader making a bogey at the third, then a Hung birdie at the fourth, she was suddenly tied for the lead.
She made the turn at one-under.
Locked in a tight battle, she moved a shot clear as the leader dropped another at the 11th. She then hit her stride, making birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to make the margin two. The leader struck back at the 16th to close the gap, but a bogey at the next meant Hung just needed to avoid disaster up the final hole, and the tournament was hers.
She finished in style, making birdie to sign for a four-under final round and take the trophy.
Hung is in third on the TLPGA rankings.
Meanwhile, Steve Alker has kept his perfect top 10 record on the Champions Tour intact at the Constellation Furyk and Friends event in Florida.
Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K - Final Round
PONTE VEDRA BEACH - OCTOBER 10: Steven Alker of New Zealand tees off on the first hole during the final round of the PGA TOUR Champions Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS presented by Circle K at Timuquana Country Club on October 10, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Alker has made it six top 10’s in six events after finishing in a tie for seventh at eight-under-par. He shot rounds of 68, 70, and 70, and finished seven shots back of reigning the PGA champion Phil Mickelson.
The 50-year-old got off to a steady start in his third and final round, making one birdie at the third to be one-under through his opening nine.
Alker mixed birdies with bogeys on his closing nine. He bogeyed the 11th and 14th holes and birdied the two par 5s 13 and 15 to stand on the 18th tee at one-under. A par or better would see him finish inside the top 10 once again.
Incredibly, Alker finished with a birdie and moved up a spot on the leaderboard into a share of seventh.
He now sits 56th on the Schwab Money List, with the top 72 making the final event.
Michael Campbell has finished inside the top 15 at the Riegler & Partner Legends event on the Staysure Tour.
The former US Open champion carded rounds of 68, 73, and 68 to finish in a tie for 15th, 10 shots behind the winner Mauricio Molina.
Fellow Kiwi Michael Long finished two shots in a share of 21st following rounds of 70, 74, and 67.
Finally, Ryan Fox rounds out the Kiwi’s who made the cut around the globe this week, all of which finished inside the top 25.
Fox fired rounds of 65, 71, 67, and 70 to finish at 11-under par at the Acciona Open in Spain. He finished eight shots back of Rafa Cabrera Bello who won his home event.
The big-hitting Kiwi’s final round was certainly a game of two halves.