STA, 4 April 2022 - Slovenia's best professional golfer, 18-year-old Pia Babnik, has set a new milestone by taking third place in the first major tournament of the season, the Chevron Championship in California, US. This is by far the best result any Slovenian golfer has ever achieved. She now ranks among the world's top 50 female golfers.
Babnik finished the four-day tournament with a prize money of five million dollars at 11 under par to finish behind two Americans, Jennifer Kupcho (-14) and Jessica Korda (-12).
Having entered the event ranked 109th in the world, she has now climbed to 43rd place in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings in what is a career milestone for her.
The third place brought her 334,972 dollars (about EUR 303,100) and 40 points for the rankings, more than she has won in any of the tournaments in her two-year professional career.
Given the eligibility requirements for the remaining two majors in the US, 43rd place means she will be eligible to play in all five majors this season. This feat also gives her the lead in the European rankings for the 2023 Solheim Cup, the biennial competition between Europe and the US.
"I'm exceptionally pleased. This is truly a great achievement since this is my first major in the US. I enjoyed the game, found good ways out of difficult situations and finished the tournament in style," Babnik told the STA.
"This success opens the door wide for me to the largest tournaments in the world."
This was Babnik's third appearance at a major tournament. She will now take a short break from golfing to focus on school. Her next tournament will be a European Series event in Madrid in May.
