Briana Chacon birdies No. 18 after storm delay to win Epson Tour's Atlantic Beach Classic
Briana Chacon, who was the first University of Oregon player to win an NCAA regional championship in 2022, birdied two of her last three holes on Saturday and won the Epson Tour Atlantic Beach Classic at 7-under-par 206 at the Atlantic Beach Country Club.
Play was suspended at 3:24 p.m. because of the first two rounds of storms that hit the area, the second weather delay in two days. The 22-year-old Chacon (69) was tied with First Coast resident Jessica Porvasnik for first at 6-under at the time of the suspension and when play resumed, Porvasnik failed to birdie the par-5 18th hole and Chacon made birdie on a 6-foot putt at the last for her first Epson Tour victory.
Chacon, who never had a share of the lead until a birdie at No. 16 on Saturday, earned $45,000 and with 500 points for winning, moved into second place on the Epson Tour Race for the Card standings. The top 15 at the end of the season will earn LPGA cards.
Chacon is the first Epson Tour rookie to win this season.
"Words cannot really describe what I'm feeling," Chacon told epsontour.com. "I'm still shocked and just really surprised. But most of all, I'm super grateful and super thankful to be here."
Chacon missed only one fairway and four greens in the final round.
"I feel like I had a pretty solid round today," said the Whittier, Calif. native. "Nothing really major happened. I just feel like I hit the ball really well, I was pretty consistent off the tee. I did a pretty good job of hitting a lot of greens, and I think for me, it just all came down to the putting and making clutch shots up towards the end."
Jessica Porvasnik led for most of the final round
Porvasnik (69), a Jacksonville resident who was the Big Ten player of the year at Ohio State in 2014, finished in a tie with 10-year LPGA veteran Kim Kaufman (71) for second at 6-under 207. Mariajo Uribie (the day's low round with a 66), Karen Chung (70) and 36-hole leader Lauren Stephenson (74) tied for fourth at 5-under.
At the time of the suspension, Porvasnik was tied for first with Chacon at 6-under, with Urbie and Kaufman tied at 5-under.
Porvasnik, who won the PXG Women's Match Play in 2021 at the World Golf Hall of Fame Slammer & Squire, was 7-under twice during the final round, after birdies at Nos. 10 and 14. But she followed each birdie with a bogey on the next hole.
"I struck the ball well, made some good putts," she said. "It's always nice to play well when you're at home I think there's a little more pressure on you. Having everyone out watching was awesome. I mean, there's a great atmosphere out here. Probably one of the best crowds we've seen, so that's cool."
Amelia Lewis closes with an eagle
Jacksonville native Amelia Lewis, a 13-year LPGA veteran, eagled the par-5 18th hole on a 27-foot putt for a 72 to tie for 19th at even-par 213. Lewis has made all three cuts and finished inside the top 25 in Epson Tour events this season.
Lewis had 14 birdies, her eagle at the last, 10 bogeys and the one double. In the final round she missed only two fairways and four greens and doubled the short par-4 17th after trying to drive the green and hitting into the water.
"I'm glad I finished well," said the Bolles graduate. "I felt like this was up and down for me but overall it was a positive experience playing at home."
Lewis said she would be working mainly on her putting during a three-week break before the next event April 26-28 in Beaumont, Calif.
"My ball-striking is pretty good right now," she said. "It's just a matter of taking advantage of that by making more putts."
Epson Tour commissioner lauds ABCC membership
The Epson Tour is the LPGA's developmental circuit. The Atlantic Beach Classic was the first LPGA-sanctioned tournament held on the First Coast since the 1975 Jacksonville Ladies Open, played at the Selva Marina Country Club. Selva Marina was later renovated by architect Erik Larsen and re-opened in 2014 as Atlantic Beach.
The Epson Tour signed a three-year contract to hold its tournament at Atlantic Beach. Epson Tour commissioner Jody Brothers told the Times-Union that the event may move to the week before The Players Championship in 2025, instead of the week after.
He said the Atlantic Beach Country Club members and the community embraced the tournament with open arms.
"It was a tremendous experience," said Brothers, a former Vice President for Business Development for the PGA Tour. "Hats off to the membership for being open to hosting the event, but they also came out in droves to volunteer, host players at their houses ... that's really at the core of what the Epson tour is all about. The membership came out big time this week."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Briana Chacon birdies last hole after delay to win Atlantic Beach Classic
