Cobram professional Steffanie Vogel captured her first tour title with victory in the $50,000 Sunnyside Estate WPGA Pro Am at Wagga Wagga Country Club on Friday.
Vogel took a two-shot lead into the second and final round on Friday and saw off challenges from a high-calibre chasing pack to finish at -10 and win by two.
It was a testing two days for the players with heavy rain and storms making conditions tough, with WWCC green staff earning high praise for their efforts in making the course playable.
Vogel made the most of the better morning conditions on Thursday to shoot a six-under round of 67. She held her nerve on Friday with a final round 69.
Cook Islands’ Elmay Viking, Japan’s Ayane Morita and Korea’s Nayeon Eum all shared a tie for second place at -8.
Previous winners Jordan O’Brien (2023) and Cholcheva Wongras (2025) finished one shot further back.
Vogel had never taken a two-shot lead into a final round before and fought a bad case of nerves throughout the day. She was relieved to get the job done at Wagga.
“I feel really good at the moment,” Vogel said.
“I’ve never really been anywhere near contending for a tournament before so it was an awful feeling but it was really good at the same time. The last few holes were very nervy but very happy to get the win.”
Vogel, a regular visitor to Wagga over the years, came in with a specific focus.
“I haven’t had a great year,” she said.
“I was starting to find something but I haven’t quite been able to put it all together so coming into the tournament I just kind of thought I’d just have a bit of fun, attack a few pins and it ended up working out for me.”
Defending champion Cholcheva Wongras did not leave empty-handed after winning the Navigate Advisors Supershot on Friday night.
‘Arpo’ went close to holing out, taking the nearest to the pin competition by going within 28 centimetres.
Earlier in the week, Danni Vasquez-Boyd won the Jupiter Motors Shootout at Wednesday night’s Pro Am Gala Dinner.
FINAL LEADERBOARD
-10 Steffanie Vogel (67,69)
-8 Elmay Viking (70,68), Ayane Morita (69,69), Nayeon Eum (69,69)
-7 Jordan O’Brien (69,70), Cholcheva Wongras (71,68)
-6 Arina Hayashi (71,69), Miki Nishiyama (71,69)
