Following a one-week break, Malaysian ladies’ number one Natasha Andrea Oon returns to tournament action at this week’s US$225,000 Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout.
Starting on Friday at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Arkansas, the 54-hole tournament is the first of the final three events on this year’s Epson Tour. It will be followed by the US$200,000 Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic at Ol’ Colony Golf Course in Alabama (September 29 – October 1), after which the 2023 season will culminate with the US$250,000 Epson Tour Championship at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida (October 5-8)
Currently in second place on the Epson Tour’s 2023 Race for the Card standings with USD114,030 in earnings, Oon noted that she will do her best to put the icing on the cake of what has been a remarkable rookie season.
“I’m just aiming to do my best in this last stretch of three events. It’s been a long year and whatever happens, happens,” said Oon, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on September 10.
Opting to skip last week’s Guardian Championship in Alabama, Oon spent the time off recharging her batteries and making sure she was well-tuned for the final push.
“During the week off, I trained and took the chance to reconnect with family and friends. I’m really looking forward to the last few tournaments … I just have to make sure I get into the swing of things,” shared Oon.
The Epson Tour is the official qualifying circuit for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, which is the premier ladies’ golf circuit in the world. The top 10 players in the Race for the Card rankings at the end of the season will receive LPGA Tour cards for 2024.
Whatever happens over the next few weeks, Oon can look back with pride on a year which saw her amass seven top-10 finishes including an impressive four runner-up performances in 17 starts. She missed the cut just once.
While not one of the longest hitters on tour, Oon has excelled in almost every other area of her game. She ranks in the top 10 on the Epson Tour’s statistics for Scoring Average (70.02, Rank 2), Driving Accuracy (80.03%, Rank 8), Greens in Regulation (76.04%, Rank 9), Putts per Green in Regulation (1.76, Rank 10) and Sand Saves (78.26%, Rank 3).
“I think my work ethic helped a lot. I worked hard early in the year and played a lot of tournaments, just trying to get used to the lifestyle of being a tour pro. Also, I think the number of golf courses we play helped us get better at course management,” shared Oon, currently ranked 300th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
Oon turned professional in June last year after a standout collegiate golf career with San Jose State University. With her strong run of good results on the Epson Tour, Oon took over the mantle of top Malaysian golfer on the Rolex Rankings from LPGA Tour player Kelly Tan in July.
Malaysian golf fans will be able to catch Oon and Tan in action during the USD3 million Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on October 26-29, which marks the LPGA Tour’s return to Malaysia after a five-year hiatus.
2023 Epson Tour Race for the Card (Top 10 as of September 20, 2023)
| Position | Player | Earnings (USD) |
| 1 | Gabriela Ruffels (AUS) | 156,283 |
| 2 | Natasha Andrea Oon (MAS) | 114,030 |
| 3 | Jiwon Jeon (KOR) | 111,370 |
| 4 | Agathe Laisne (FRA) | 109,060 |
| 5 | Jenny Coleman (USA) | 101,390 |
| 6 | Roberta Liti (ITA) | 100,291 |
| 7 | Minji Kang (KOR) | 96,433 |
| 8 | Nataliya Guseva | 82,984 |
| 9 | Jenny Bae (USA) | 81,694 |
| 10 | Gigi Stoll (USA) | 79,464 |
