Last Saturday, Filipino golfer Princess Mary Superal secured the victory at the Simone Asia Pacific Cup in Indonesia. This win marks her first-ever international title as a professional.

This was the inaugural competition for the Asia Pacific Cup with 40 top players competing, including some of the top 10 in the world. But faced against some of the best in the sport, Superal thrived.

Holding off the champs

After firing a three-birdie blitz from No. 2, Princess Superal threw her three highly-ranked rivals off her tail. Behind her was world No. 4 Lydia Ko, No. 8 Hyo Joo Kim, and No. 46 So Yeon Ryu. Superal is ranked No. 924 in the world.

But, it was her three straight birdies that allowed her to close out with a five-under-par 67, taking the Asia Pacific Cup title from world No. 46 and former US Women’s Open winner, Ryu, by only three shots. Ko finished four behind, and Kim 11 behind.

“It’s pretty special to me because this is my first international win as a professional,” Superal expressed after the tournament. “I’ve been waiting for this moment to arrive. I’m very happy.”

Long time coming

Superal started playing professional golf around six years ago and has competed in several international tournaments. And after years of dedication to the sport, she has earned the sweet victory that she has been working long and hard to achieve.

With the win, she the top prize of $100,000, which is equivalent to around PHP 5.6 million. So not only is this her first ever professional title, but it is also the biggest check she has ever walked away with. Hopefully, it will not be her last.

Superal’s main goal is to become a regular player on the LPGA Tour. Having bested some of the top players in the world, certainly, her confidence in this goal has been boosted, which we hope will translate in her upcoming tournaments.

Superal is set to return to Thailand for three more tournaments and later this year, she also plans to compete in the Japan LPGA Qualifying series.