Silhouette of female golferSCOTT HEPPELL
Canadian amateur Erica Rivard has won a professional golf tournament, topping the field of 36 at a SunCoast Ladies Series event in Florida.
The 22-year-old from Tecumseh, Ont., finished the 54-hole tournament Thursday at four-under-par 215, a stroke ahead of Lin Xi Yu of China and Jordan Hardy of United States.
Rivard, a former member of the Canadian amateur team's development squad, secured the victory with a one-under 72 in her final trip around Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando on Thursday.
As an amateur, she wasn't allowed to collect any money, leaving the runners-up to split first and second prize ($1,500 U.S. apiece). Rivard was ranked No. 938 in the world amateur table heading into the Orlando tournament.
Rivard played U.S. college golf at the University of Toledo and qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur last year, but has made a mark on her home soil as well. She once played a hole with LPGA Tour legend Annika Sorenstam at a charity event in Aurora, Ont., as a teenager and last year tied for third place at the Ontario Women's Amateur.
This year, her competitive schedule has included a handful of starts on the Florida-based SunCoast mini-tour. She has one other top-10 to her credit.