Pia Babnik Third at the Chevron Championships in California
STA, April 4, 2022 – The best Slovenian professional golfer, 18-year-old Pia Babnik, set a new milestone with third place at the first major tournament of the Chevron Championship season in California, USA. This is by far the best result ever achieved by any Slovenian golfer. She is now ranked among the top 50 golfers in the world.
Babnik finished the four-day tournament with a cash prize of $ 5 million at 11 below face value and finished behind two Americans, Jennifer Kupcho (-14) and Jessica Korda (-12).
Having placed 109th in the world in the tournament, she has now climbed to 43rd in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, a milestone in her career.
Third place earned her $ 334,972 (about $ 303,100) and 40 ranking points, more than she won in any of the tournaments in her two-year professional career.
Given the eligibility conditions for the remaining two major U.S. majors, 43rd place means she will be able to play in all five competitions this season. This feat also gives her the lead in the European rankings for the Solheim Cup 2023, a two-year competition between Europe and the US.
“I am extremely satisfied. This is a really great achievement, as this is my first major tournament in the USA. I enjoyed the game, found good ways out of difficult situations and finished the tournament in style,” Babnik told STA.
“This success opens the door to the biggest tournaments in the world.”
This was Babnik’s third appearance in the big tournament. She will now take a short break from golf and dedicate herself to school. Her next tournament will be in Madrid in May as part of the European Series.