MILFORD, Connecticut — Filipina Clariss Guce faded in the final round with an even-par 72 but still managed to finish at joint ninth Monday in the weather-delayed Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship.
The 33-year-old Guce wound up six shots off champion Jenny Bae of the United States who carded a 70 on the last day for the $30,000 top purse with an 11-under 205 over the past three rounds. Guce shot 69-70 in first 36 holes.
It was the best finish for Guce in years. This year she was joint 28th at Firekeepers and joint 32nd at Island resort. She has not won in Epson Tour since capturing two titles in 2016.
Still, it was an auspicious season for Guce who dropped two birdies in the front nine only to buckle under two bogeys in the back. She finished at 211 in a tie with China’s Michelle Zhang (69) for $4,477 each.
Abby Arevalo wound up tied for 35th after a 75 for 218 total and $1,391. Chanelle Avaricio was T45 after a 75 for 220 and $955. Samantha Bruce was T71 following an 81 in the tourney. She pocketed $575.
In her second career Epson Tour start, Bae secured her first Epson Tour victory in a thrilling playoff. Early in the round, the moment seemed too big for Bae, who made two bogeys in her first seven holes.
The round shifted for the rookie on No. 8 when she made an eagle on the par 5.
She would then birdie two of the following three holes to get to -2 for her round, and she would stay at -2 for the rest of the day and finish the tournament at -11.
Bae would head into a three-way playoff with her two playing partners for the day, Minji Kang and Ssu-Chia Cheng.
Cheng would exit the playoff after a bogey on the first extra hole, while Bae and Kang would battle on for six more holes.
The pair traded pars until Bae finally made a tournament-winning birdie after hitting her approach shot to eight feet.
“Overall, my round today went really well,” Bae said.
“Everything just kind of clicked, especially in the last seven-hole stretch in the playoff. I was a bit nervous at first, but I eased into it and told myself it is just another nine holes, and I just feel really satisfied.”
The 21-year-old made her Epson Tour debut at the Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship, missing the cut by five shots.
The shift from college golf to professional golf is a big shift that many players are not ready for. Bae has had a decorated amateur career, finishing runner-up at the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and winning the 2023 Juli Inkster Award.
“Your college and amateur careers are so much different than playing as a professional,” Bae said.
“My first tournament definitely helped me; it was a great experience. It gave me a chance to get the feeling of how professional tournaments actually work. I think my win here is a checkpoint for me to know I have the game to be out here.”
Minji Kang matched Bae shot for shot for 60 holes before finally falling behind.
Kang put together a -2 round on the final day of play, with a clutch chip-in on the 17th hole to tie the lead heading down 18.
Kang is also in her rookie campaign, and with her runner-up finish, she collected her third top-10 of the season and will move just outside the top 10 in the Race for the Card standings. With her dad on the bag, Kang looks forward to the rest of her rookie season.
“I had a good feeling this week about everything,” Kang said.
“Today, I was a little nervous, but I want to say congrats to Jenny; she played great this week. My dad came over from Korea a few weeks ago to caddy, but once he came, I couldn’t make a cut, and I was really sorry about that. Today felt good playing with him and I am really happy to be close to the top 10.”
Rounding out the top 5 is Auston Kim (4th) at -9 and Jiwon Jeon (5th) at -8, respectively.
