Defending champion Gemma Dryburgh went low on Sunday at the TOTO Japan Classic, carding a bogey-free, 7-under 65 that saw her make six birdies and tie her season-low round on the LPGA Tour.
Starting the day in a tie for 24th at 12-under, the Scot grabbed a birdie early on the par-5 2nd hole and then rattled off three consecutive pars before recording back-to-back birdies on holes 6 and 7. She parred No. 8 and then birdied again on the par-5 9th hole, turning in 32 and now sitting at 16-under with nine holes to play. Dryburgh parred 10 and 11, picking up another birdie on the par-5 12th hole before carding pars on 13 and 14. She moved to 18-under with a birdie on 15 and snagged one last birdie on the par-5 17th hole to post a 65 and finish in a tie for sixth at 19-under overall.
It’s the 30-year-old’s third top-10 finish of the 2023 LPGA Tour season and is her second consecutive T6 result as the LPGA Tour winner also finished in a tie for sixth at last week’s Maybank Championship. Along with tying her season-low 18-hole score, the 65 ties Dryburgh’s second-lowest career round on the LPGA Tour, which she last shot earlier this year at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro.
It also matches the same final-round score that she shot last year en route to her first LPGA Tour victory at the 2022 TOTO Japan Classic, something the Scot was pleased to do in her first-ever title defense.
“I think just coming back to Japan has been really inspiring. I have very good memories from last year. But very proud of myself to put a good defense up this week,” said Dryburgh, who birdied all four of the par 5s on Sunday at Taiheiyo Club’s Minori Course. “I played really well today. Another 65 on Sunday like last year, which is nice. Just really proud of myself.”
In addition to the pair of T6s that Dryburgh picked up during the LPGA Tour’s fall Asian swing, she has one other top-10 result on her 2023 resume, a solo eighth that came in July at The Amundi Evian Championship. She has found the top 20 three other times, but it’s otherwise been a quiet year for the Scot, who entered the week at 60th in the Race to the CME Globe and needed a pair of solid finishes at both the TOTO Japan Classic and next week’s ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican if she wanted to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship.
Her finish in Japan has moved Dryburgh to 50th in the Race to the CME Globe point standings, well inside the top-60 cutoff for the season-ending event but still somewhat on the bubble with one regular-season tournament left on the 2023 schedule. Anything can happen this late in the year, and Dryburgh knows that she will need to continue riding the momentum she’s generated the last two weeks in Asia if she wants a shot at the $2 million winner’s check that will be handed out at Tiburón Golf Club.
For now, though, she’s got a ten-shot cushion to play with and is in good form ahead of next week’s ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, two things that will take a bit of pressure off Dryburgh as she works to finish her season strong.
“Obviously, the goal the last few weeks was trying to get into CME,” said Dryburgh, who finished T7 in her CME Group Tour Championship debut in 2022. “I think before Asia, I was ten spots out, so last week helped and this week as well, so that's nice to know.”
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