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Momoka Kobori runner-up on LET in India

Momoka Kobori Ladies European Tour golf
Momoka Kobori made four straight birdies to end her final round to get into a tie for second. PHOTO: LET

New Zealand golfer Momoka Kobori has equalled her best finish on the Ladies European Tour (LET).


Kobori finished in a share of the runner-up spot at the Women's Indian Open on Sunday, just one stroke behind the winner, England's Liz Young, to earn her second-largest payday on the European tour.


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The result kept the 25-year-old's outside chances of earning an LPGA Tour card for 2025 alive, as she moved up 17 places to 20th in the LET's Order of Merit ahead of next month's season-ending Andalucia Costa del Sol Open in Spain.


The LET's top-10 are exempt through to the LPGA's Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage in December, where the top-45 earn playing status on the world's top tour.


Kobori closed with a two-under 70 at the DLF Golf and Country Club near New Delhi, surging into contention with four straight birdies to close out.


The Cantabrian made birdies at the first and ninth, and bogeys at the third and fourth on the front-nine. She dropped out of the top-10 with back-to-back bogeys at the 13th and 14th, but rolled in four birdies to almost get into a playoff.


Steven Alker PGA Tour Champions golf
Steven Alker led by two shots after 18 holes on the PGA Tour Champions but fell to 12th in the final round. PHOTO: PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Kiwi Steven Alker's bid for a second victory on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024 came undone in the final round.


Alker closed the Simmons Bank Championship in Little Rock Arkansas on Sunday (Monday NZ Time) with a one-over 73 to finish in a tie for 12th at 11-under, six shots behind the champion, Ireland's Padraig Harrington.


Starting the day tied with Harrington for the 36-hole lead, the 53-year-old made two birdies and three bogeys at the Pleasant Valley Country Club to drop 11 places.


The result sees Alker head into the Charles Schwab Cup Championship next month second in the season-long standings, behind four-time major winner Ernie Els, who shot a seven-under 65 to get into the four-way share of 12th.



Likewise, Daniel Hillier's hopes of making the DP World Tour's playoffs died in the fourth round on Sunday.


Hillier signed for an even-par 72 on the final day at the Genesis Championship in Incheon, South Korea, falling out of the top-10 and into a share of 22nd at nine-under, eight strokes adrift of the winner, South Korea's Byeong Hun An.


Likely needing a top-five finish to push his way into the top-75 on the Road to Dubai rankings, Hillier could only move up two spots to 94th.


The 26-year-old made birdies at the 10th and 14th holes, along with bogeys at the eighth and 11th. However, despite hitting 13-of-18 greens in regulation, he could not get putts to fall, requiring 31 in total.



Kiwi No 1 Ryan Fox's pursuit of his PGA Tour card for 2025 will go the distance after a disappointing weekend.


Fox posted rounds of two-under 68 and one-over 71 on the last two days at the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, ending in a tie for 65th at one-over on Sunday, 21 shots behind the winner, Colombian Nico Echavarria.


On the final day, the 37-year-old made four birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, falling four spots.


It leaves Fox 108th in the PGA Tour's Fedex Cup Fall rankings, needing to finish in the top-125 to retain his card. Three tournaments - in Mexico, Bermuda and the USA - remain on the schedule.



Nick Voke was the best of the three NZ golfers to make the cut at the Asian Tour's International Series Thailand tournament.


Voke fired a six-under 64 in the fourth round at the Thai Country Club near Bangkok on Sunday, climbing into a share of seventh at 16-under, five shots adrift of the champion, Taiwan's Chieh-po Lee.


The 29-year-old made seven birdies, including three straight from the fitth to seventh holes, and another three on a blemish-free back-nine, moving up from 24th.


Kazuma Kobori finished with a three-under 67 that included four birdies and a bogey to end in a share of 19th at 14-under, while Ben Campbell posted a two-under 68, with three birdies and a bogey, to be tied for 47th at nine-under.



After leading after 36 holes, the Kiwi pair of Jake Meenhorst and Kerry Mountcastle faded over the weekend at the PGA Tour of Australasia's Players Series South Australia.


Meenhorst had rounds of one-under 69 and two-over 72 on Saturday and Sunday at the Willunga Golf Course, dropping into a tie for 14th at eight-under, six shots back to the winner, Australian Jack Buchanan.


Mountcastle posted back-to-back one-over 71s to fall to solo 19th at seven-under, while James Hydes and Tyler Wood finished tied for 28th at three-under.


Hanee Song closed with a two-under 68 to finish in a share of 25th overall at four-under, while she was the second-best woman in the field, seven strokes below Australian Kathryn Norris, who was one of three runners-up.



Meanwhile, Amelia Garvey and Claire Shin's hopes of earning LPGA Tour cards ended at the Q-Series: Qualifying Stage in Venice, Florida last week.


Garvey, an Epson Tour regular, posted rounds of 71, 72, 71 and 75 to end in a share of 88th at one-over, while recent professional Shin, had rounds of 74, 70, 77 and 73 to be tied for 128th at six-over.


The Kiwi pair were some distance from advancing to the Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage, with the top-35 and ties cut-off at four-under.

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