(Symetra Tour Photo)
Emma Talley recorded her career best finish on the LPGA Tour Sunday with a fifth place finish at the Hugel-JTBC LA Open at the Wilshire Country Club.
The Princeton native shot 6-under par for the weekend and was in the top 10 for most of the event. She opened with a 3-under 68 on Thursday and finished with a round of 4-under par on Sunday, bettering the final round score of the winner, Moriya Jutanugarn, who shot 13-under to claim her first professional win.
Talley was the poster child of consistency off the tee, hitting 51-of-56 fairways for the tournament and 15-of-18 greens in regulation for her final round.
She also putted well, with only one round of more than 30 putts. She entered the weekend at just a shade under 30 putts per round. On Thursday, she needed only 27 putts during her round.
It was a nice bounce back for Talley, who missed only her second cut of the season last week in Hawaii.
It is the second top 10 finish of the year for the LPGA rookie, who finished tied for seventh at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in February.
Talley moved from 67th to 41st in the Race to the CME Globe point standings, and she remains ranked third in the LPGA Rookie of the Year standings. She earned $57,166 for her fifth place finish, more than doubling her season total of $51,690 entering the week. Talley has earned $108,856 on the LPGA Tour this year.
The LPGA Tour makes the trip up the California coast to the inaugural MEDIHEAL Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club that begins Thursday.
