Madelene Sagstrom claimed her first professional win at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial, a TLPGA Tour and Symetra Tour co-sanctioned event, at the Cypress Lake Country Club. She carded a 3-over 75 on an extremely windy Sunday to emerge victorious by just one shot at four-round total of 9-under par 279.

The 23-year-old from Sweden earned a US$30,000 winner paycheck and overtook as the leader on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at $52,914. With just three events played on the Symetra Tour this year, Sagstrom is now the fastest in Tour history to pass the US$50,000 mark in total prize earnings in one season.

American Lorie Kane came out on top in the star-studded 30-player field of a concurrent Legends Tour event, bagging a first place prize of US$19,500. The thirty former greats hold a combined 327 LPGA Tour victories.

German Sophia Popov posted a Sunday 73 to sit in lone second at 280. Her runner-up paycheck is worth US$25,000. Thailand’s Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong finished with a 5-over 77 to settle at 283 and solo third.

The hard fighting Popov birdied on the 14th to take a brief lead at 9-under but Sagstrom, who recorded one birdie to five bogeys until that point, gained back the initiative with consecutive birdies on 15th and 16th and finally closed out the door with a tap-in par on 18th.

Chien Pei-Yun (錢珮芸) finished as the top performer this week in the 15-player Taiwanese contingent. She carded a 3-over 75 and took the equal eighth place at 286. Chien’s fellow country woman and Symetra Tour member Cheng Ssu-Chia (程思嘉) became one of the only four players to break par in the windy conditions. Cheng used a 1-under 71 to move into a tie for twelfth.

Yeh Hsin-Ning (葉欣寧) wrapped up the week at 295 and T36. 15-year-old amateur Chang Ya-Chun (張雅淳), who finished in a share of second in Lake Wales last week at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, turned in a 78 tying at 39th at 296. Symetra Tour titlist Lin Tzu-Chi (林子麒) had a final-round 74 to sit another shot back at 297.

Chien made up for two putting mishaps, a three-putt on 5th and a 9-footer gone short on 6th, on the front nine with two birdies on both inward par-5s. But a major collapse on the par-4 16th dented the slimmest of hopes she had for winning.

She put her ball safely on the fairway, leaving about 145 yard, into the wind. Chien then attempted to hit sideways to avoid a tree. However, she overcooked her approach with her 7-iron as she needed to take a drop and a one-stroke penalty to get the ball back in play from the bushes to the left of the green.

Under the branches, Chien sent the ball to a greenside bunker and it was her fifth shot already when it finally made the green. She two-putted for seven. “I felt good all day but that was a major setback,” said Chien.

“The wind is the strongest in all four days and the greens are so fast. It’s been a big test to the control in putting,” said Chien, she finished T8 in both tournaments in Florida where the TLPGA Tour and the Symetra Tour partnered up to give TLPGA players a chance to tune themselves before playing in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in San Francisco.

“I feel I was able to bring up what I’ve been working on with my new camp in the United States. I committed to my swings and strategies in every category but definitely could still do a lot better,” Chien said. “I’m very focused on getting into the top 10 this year and win the 2017 LPGA Tour membership.” She is at no.13 after this week.

The TLPGA has been increasing efforts to build a more international tour by reaching to the China LPGA, Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) and Ladies Asian Tour (LAGT) over the past two calendar years. The two weeks in Florida mark a debut show for TLPGA Tour events to be featured on the Symetra Tour as well. The Symetra Tour is the second tier developmental tour to the LPGA Tour, dubbed the “Road to the LPGA”.