“I was surprisingly calm” - Gemma Dryburgh clinches maiden LPGA Tour title at the Toto Japan Classic

On November 6, Gemma Dryburgh walked off the Seta Golf Course with an LPGA trophy. With this victory, Dryburgh became the fourth Scottish golfer to win the tournament.

Dryburgh, who joined the LPGA in 2018, confessed that she was unexpectedly comfortable while playing the game.

Gemma Dryburgh doing her thing (Image via Getty)

She said:

"I was surprisingly calm. When I dreamt of this moment, I thought I'd be super, super nervous. I was nervous. I'm not going to lie. But I was incredibly calm, to be honest. Kind of focused on my breathing, and that really got me though.

Dryburgh started the final round with a shot behind Momoko Ueda. While Miyuu Yamashita and Ueda struggled on the course, Dryburgh hit a career-best 72 holes score and lifted the trophy. She was on cloud nine after claiming her first LPGA title. She said:

"I was in Korea last week with friends and I said to them, 'I mention you in my speech' as a joke. But it's overwhelming, to be honest. This has been a dream of mine for a long time. A lot of hard work has gone into this, so it means so much."

Despite earning $434,975 in her career and no LPGA Tour title, Gemma Dryburgh played confidently at the Toto Japan Classic and took home $300,000.

Kana Nagai bagged the second position with prize money of $182,538, while Linn Grant secured third place and won $132,418 in prize money.

---

Exploring Gemma Dryburgh's golfing career so far

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on June 11, 1993, Gemma Dryburgh has been playing professional golf since 2015.

She had a successful career at the amateur level while playing at Tulane University and competed in the 2014 Curtis Cup and Espirito Santo Trophy.

After a highly successful collegiate career, Gemma Dryburgh made her professional debut in 2015, playing in the LET Access Series and making the cut in three of the four events. She later played on the Symetra Tour in 2016 and 2017.

Gemma Dryburgh finally came into the limelight during the ALPG Tour and notched her first professional victory at the Oatlakes Ladies Pro-Am.

In 2016, she joined the Ladies European Tour and a year later played at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open.

Dryburgh's LPGA Tour journey began in 2018. She has since finished in T-21 at the 2018 Cambia Portland Classic and played at the 2019 Pure Silk Championship.

She made her major championship debut in 2019 at the Women's PGA Championship and finally won her first LPGA Tour in 2022.

Dryburgh's world ranking drastically changed with her win at the Toto Japan Classic. When she entered the tournament, the golfer was ranked 199, and now she holds the 92nd world rank.

Her victory is significantly more important for her country. Dryburgh became the first Scottish golfer in a decade to clinch a major title after Catriona Matthews won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in 2011.