With a run of four birdies on the last five holes at Medinah CC, Sofie Kibsgaard of Denmark scored a 5-under 67 to win Round 3 of the NEXT Golf Tour Powered by TrackMan.
American Tripp Kinney and Sweden’s Rasmus Rosin also finished -5, but Kibsgaard broke the tie by posting the lowest back-nine score (31).
Kibsgaard earned $19,351 for the first win of her professional career and became the first woman to win on the NEXT Golf Tour.
“It’s fun to play against the men, to see the leaderboard and [know] you can play among them,” Kibsgaard said. “And then especially to win it, that’s very, very big for me. I haven’t really realized it yet, but I think I will in a few weeks when the money comes.”
Kibsgaard turned pro last year after helping Oregon to a runner-up finish in the NCAA women’s golf championship. Her victory extends the Danish run of dominance on the NEXT, following Round 1 winner Mathias Gladbjerg and Round 2 winner Jeppe Kristian. Kibsgaard climbed into second place ($19,780) on the season-long Order of Merit behind Rosin ($30,687), who has finished in the top five in all three rounds.
In Round 3, which ran from Feb. 1–12, 506 players from 31 countries competed for a total purse of $150,600. Kinney and Rosin both took home $13,139 for their T2 finish. Five players tied for fourth at -4 and earned $5,767 each.
Each of the six stops on the 2023 NEXT Golf Tour consist of one 18-hole individual stroke play round on a select TrackMan Virtual Golf course. The mixed-field events are open to professionals and amateurs, with men and women competing straight-up from different tee boxes.
The guaranteed minimum purse for each NEXT event is $100,000, and $100 from each player’s entry fee is added to the purse. During each round, players also compete in “side games,” which account for $35,000 of the prize pool. Round 3 side games winners included:
Closest-to-the-Pin (Aggregate): Anton Guedra, Sweden (64’ 3”) — $6,000
Longest Drive (Men): Anders Emil Ejlersen (360 yards) — $2,000
Longest Drive (Women): Jenny Haglund, Sweden (264.2 yards) — $2,000
Birdie Streak: Tripp Kinney, USA (6) — $1,500
Most Greens in Regulation: Will Florimo, Australia (16) — $1,500
Round 4 will be played February 15–26 at The Concession Golf Club in TrackMan simulators worldwide.
To learn more about the NEXT Golf Tour, including rules and entry details, visit NEXTGolfTour.com. Follow the action on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @NEXTGolfTour and #NEXTGolfTour
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