Oh breaks drought with WPGA title win

Murray Wenzel | January 16, 2022

Su Oh has claimed her first title in seven years, defying Grace Kim’s final-day surge to prevail by four shots after a see-sawing Australian WPGA Championship battle.

The hot tournament favourite after the late COVID-19 scratchings of Steph Kyriacou and Sarah Kemp, LPGA Tour regular Oh held her nerve after losing the lead midway through Sunday’s final round.

She shot a closing three-under-par 68 at Royal Queensland to win at 10 under .

Impressive youngster Kim threatened before fading on the back nine to shoot 70 and finish runner up, while Sarah Jane Smith (72) was two shots further back in third.

The new event saw 24 women split between men’s Australian PGA Championship groups for all four days at Royal Queensland QC in Brisbane, competing for a $180,000 first prize – the same as for the men.

Oh had queried the weekend format that meant the leading women were not grouped together, but was all smiles when she drained a long putt from off the 13th green to establish a crucial two-shot buffer.

And she finished it in style, making a 10-metre birdie putt on the 18th before celebrating with runaway Australian PGA Championship winner Jed Morgan who played in the final group with her.

It’s the 25-year-old’s first title since stunning the field in her second professional event at the Australian Ladies Masters in 2015.

A double bogey on the par 4 13th cost Kim, who had made five birdies in six holes either side of the turn to lead by one.

Her approach to the 13th skipped off the back of the green.

She then chipped back off the other side of the putting strip and missed her long bogey putt to walk away with a costly six that proved too tough to claw back from.