Rising Australian golf star Gabi Ruffels has taken a big stride forward in her quest to secure a 2024 LPGA Tour card by claiming her maiden victory on the secondary Epson Tour in the US.
Ruffels moved to top spot on the Epson Tour money list with her two-shot win over American Kathleen Scavo at the Arizona Women's Golf Classic in Mesa.
The 22-year-old pocketed a winner's cheque of $50,250 ($A74,700) and jumped from a tie for 24th to the No.1 spot on the money list.
Ruffels entered the final event of the 2022 Epson Tour season with the chance to finish inside the top 10 and earn promotion to the LPGA Tour in 2023.
She ultimately finished 15th and then missed the cut-off to enter the LPGA Q-Series where she could also have obtained her card.
The Australian carded a bogey-free final round of four-under 68 and led by as many as five strokes on Sunday in Mesa, before Scavo eagled the final hole to trim the winning margin to two shots.
It was a second professional tournament win for Ruffels, who in 2019 became the first Australian to win the US Women's Amateur title.
She also boasts four top-25 finishes in major championships.
