Melanie Green, a 23-year-old former standout at South Florida, won her first Epson Tour event at the Island Resort Championship presented by Delta County Chamber in Harris, Michigan.
Green came into the final round two strokes back of former USC star Amari Avery. Green had shot 68 and 69 in the first two rounds thanks to her deadly accurate play, hitting 23/28 fairways and 30/36 greens.
She really turned it on in the third and final round, chasing the lead. She made three birdies on the front nine, and got off to a super hot start on the back with birdies on 10 and 11. The highlight of Green’s week came on the par 4 14, where she made an eagle to get to -14 for the week.
Green had pars on the final four holes, giving her the clubhouse lead and seemingly placing her in solid position for the win, despite a handful of groups still on the course. In the end, she defeated Kate Smith-Stroh by two strokes.
With the win, she also won the Pure Michigan Cup, which was worth 10,000 dollars and was given to the player who performed the best over the three-week Michigan swing.
Green now moves to No. 4 in the Race for the Card standings, on the season she has had four top-10 finishes and is trending well over the last five events.
