April 19, 2024

Then wins Garden City Charity Classic

Garden City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Players with hopes of earning a card from the LPGA made their way to Buffalo Dunes south of Garden City over the past week to compete in the annual Garden City Charity Classic. The classic featured many golfers from the United States and several countries around the world, as the competitors battled the wind all weekend long. 

In the end, the winner would be Rancho Cucamonga’s Gabrielle Then, who picked up her first Epson Tour win, holding off 17-year old Alexa Pano by two shots Sunday afternoon. The former USC Trojan, who also golfs in the Ladies European Tour, captured her second ever top-10 finish in the Epson Tour.

Then entered the final day with a one-shot lead, had four birdies to build her lead to four shots through nine holes. By the 16th hole, Pano had closed the gap to a one-shot margin with a birdie. But it was Then who came up big when she needed it. On the par-5, No. 16, she would Eagle the hole to build her lead to three shots, despite a bogey at 17. Then’s round of 67 would put her at -12 overall for the tournament, and the winner of the $30,000 cash prize. 

Pano shot -10 for the tournament, and also shot a 67 on the final day. 

Yan Liu from China finished third, and Teresa Toscano from Spain & Jillian Hollis from the United States tied for fourth place. 

The win by Then bumped her into seventh place on the Epson Tour in the 2022 Race for the Card. 

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Gabriella Then