Sara Byrne closed out the week with a two-over 73 for a T58 finish at the Epson Tour’s IOA Classic, while American Gina Kim did enough to secure her second tour victory and first since 2022.
Having made the cut on the number, Byrne was slow out of the traps on the final day and reached the turn at three-over after four bogeys and a birdie. After another bogey early on the back nine, she rallied to play the final five in -2 and make late headway on the leaderboard.
She’ll now turn her attention back to the LET and the Joburg Ladies Open in early April.
Kim and Jeongeun Lee5 shared the lead entering the final 18 holes, with Dana Fall rounding out the final grouping of the day. Kim fell behind early, making her first bogey of the day before she was able to make a birdie. The dropped shot on the second hole put her behind the 8-ball early, but the Duke University alum responded immediately and emphatically. The 24-year-old rolled in back-to-back birdies on holes three and four to grab a share of the lead.
A string of pars followed for Kim, who made the turn with a 1-under 35. The pars continued onto the back nine until she was able to roll in her third birdie of the day on Alaqua Country Club’s 13th. A bogey followed on the 14th, however.
Just as she did earlier in the round, the North Carolina native responded with back-to-back birdies, but this time on holes 15 and 16, to grab the solo lead. Leading by one-shot with just two holes remaining, Kim finished with two pars to close out the IOA Golf Classic presented by Aperture.
“It feels great. Obviously, its been three years so its been a hot-minute since its happened,” said Kim. “With the experience of already winning once, I think I took it pretty well. I feel like coming down the stretch with all the pressure, having all that experience really helped down the stretch. I am really happy with how I handled myself over the last few holes.”
Minji Kang was the closest competitor to Kim towards the last stretch of holes. The Republic of Korea native carded a 4-under 67 in her final round, making six birdies on the day with two bogeys. Four of the birdies came on the back nine while Kang narrowed the lead against Kim, eventually taking the lead at 10-under. The 25-year-old needed just one more putt to fall to find herself in a playoff but never found it. The runner-up finish is Kang’s best result of the season, however, putting her in a good position in the Race for the Card heading into a five-week break.
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