Bumper payday for Walsh in Chinese Taipei
Lauren Walsh pocketed the biggest cheque of her career when she finished third behind local hero Ya Ni Tseng in the 36-hole Wistron Ladies Open in Chinese Taipei.
The Castlewarden star was two shots off the lead when she eventually completed a delayed first round 68 on Saturday in an event reduced to 36 holes due to torrential rain at Sunrise Golf and Country Club.
She started the final round tied for third, five strokes behind the eventual winner, who completed the last three holes of a nine-under 63 early on Sunday to lead by three shots from Thailand's Nook Sukapan.
But as Tseng closed with a 67 to win by four strokes from New Zealand's Amelia Garvey on 14-under, Carton House touring professional Walsh fired a bogey-free 67 to finish solo third on nine under.
The Co Kildare talent (25) birdied the par-five sixth and ninth to turn in two under before making birdies at the 14th, 17th and 18th to clinch her seventh top-10 finish on the Ladies European Tour this season.
She also banked a career-best cheque for €56,009 and moved up one place to tenth in the Order of Merit with just the Aramco China Championship and the season-ending Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de España remaining.
“I’m obviously happy out with the week, especially given the circumstances of the event, showing up and then the golf course being closed for three days,” Walsh said.
“We were just allowed walk the course and hit a few putts on the green, so preparation was definitely not like a normal week.
“But it was kind of nice to go out with no expectations and play well the first day when I did get to play 12 holes under really, really poor conditions.
“It didn't stop raining and it was windy, and it was tough out there.”
As for her finish, she was thrilled to stay patient and pick up three late birdies that doubled her pay cheque, including a closing birdie four that was worth an extra €22,000.
“Obviously I got off to a nice start today, kind of gave myself some chance in the middle, and just had to stay patient once they weren't dropping,” she said.
“I knew coming in there were going to be some chances. So it was nice to make three birdies in the last five.
“I knew the birdie on the last was going to make a big difference for points and everything. So I was happy out with the week and to build on the good season so far.”
As for Tseng (36), it was the former world number one's seventh LET win and her first for 11 years.
"I've been waiting for this trophy for so long," Tseng said. "To win this tournament in my home country and in front of my family and friends is amazing.
"I've been really emotional from this win, and it just shows you should never give up on your dreams.
"Until the last hole, I wasn't sure if the scores were correct on the board. It's been such a long time to be able to stand in this position."
On the DP World Tour, Korea's Junghwan Lee won his first DP World Tour title on home soil when he claimed a three-stroke win in the Genesis Championship.
The Korean (34) went into the final round four shots behind Sweden's Mikael Lindberg and Spain's Nacho Elvira at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
But after dropping a shot at the second, he made five birdies in a row from the third, then picked up three more birdies on the back nine.
His seven-under 64 gave him the clubhouse lead on 11-under and while Elvira was just a shot behind with two holes to play, he bogeyed the 17th before dropping another shot at the par-five 18th, where he found the lake protecting the green with his second.
The Spaniard's mistake and his closing 71 left him tied for second on eight under with England's Laurie Canter, who eagled the last for a 67.
Elvira at least secured his place in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in a fortnight, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs, as he moved to 46th in the Race to Dubai with the top 70 available players exempt.
It was a memorable day for Lee, who also earned a place in Abu Dhabi and exemption on the DP World Tour until the end of 2027.
"I feel like I'm in a dream, I still can't believe I won, so it's really hard to describe how I'm feeling right now," Lee said after moving to 63rd in the rankings.
"I'm just really grateful, I still feel like I'm in a dream, and I'll be going to Abu Dhabi, and to be on these courses that I've been watching on TV and side by side playing with all these players I've been following on TV. "
With the Top 115 on the Race to Dubai securing their playing rights for next season, Sweden's Niklas Lemke ended the year in 115th despite failing to get into the field in Korea.
American Jordan Gumberg spectacularly kept his card as he holed out from 70 yards for an eagle on the 18th to sign for a three-under-par 68.
"I didn't think we needed to hole it, but we were looking to get one more, and obviously it's an added plus when it went in, so I'm ecstatic," said Gumberg, whose tie for seventh on six under par moved him up from 127th to 110th.
