Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh claimed her maiden LPGA Tour title with a seven-under-par final round earning her a four-stroke win at the Toto Japan Classic.
Dryburgh, 29, began her final round one shot behind Japan’s Momoko Ueda, who was aiming to complete a wire-to-wire victory and win this tournament for a third time after previous triumphs in 2007 and 2011.
However, Ueda stumbled to a two-over 74 to finish in a tie for fifth – her four blemishes including a double-bogey six on the 11th – and eight strokes behind champion Drybugh, who carded a superb, bogey-free 65 in Shiga.
The Aberdeen-born player birdied the fourth and seventh holes, before also picking up gains at 11, 13, 14, 15 and 18 as she finished on 20 under par for the tournament and became the third British winner on the LPGA Tour in a little over a month, following recent wins by Charley Hull and Jodi Ewart Shadoff.
Dryburgh, who is the first Scottish player to win on the LPGA Tour since Catriona Matthew in 2011 at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, said: “It’s a little overwhelming, as it has been a dream for a long time and a lot of hard work has gone into this. It means so much, as it is a life-changing win. I was nervous, I’m not going to lie, but I was also incredibly calm and focused on my breathing.”
Gemma, who signed an apparel contract with Galvin Green earlier this year, achieved her triumph in sunny conditions at the Seta Golf Course near Kyoto wearing the brand’s new MARISSA patterned short sleeved shirt. The highly breathable shirt comes in stretch fabric with a tailored collar and longer sleeves, plus contrast piping on the placket along with UV protection to a factor on 20+.
She also wore contrasting MARIE Navy breathable knitted skirts with inner shorts for maximum comfort. The skirt offers a wide waistband and front pockets with a side zipper closure. Stylish slits are detailed on the front.
“To have consecutive winners on the leading men’s and ladies’ tours during the same season is a great result for Galvin Green and our latest collections,” said CEO Nicholai Stein. “Our congratulations go to Gemma and Jordan Smith for performing so well in sunshine temperatures that put our moisture-wicking garments fully to the test and they passed with flying colours.”