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LPGA player enters first long drive contest and wins on her way to next tournament

August 14, 2018

If this whole playing golf thing doesn't work out for Emily Tubert, she may have just found a second career. On Monday, the LPGA player competed in her first World Long Drive contest — and she made winning look pretty easy.

Tubert went last in the finals of the inaugural Tennessee Big Shots event against Alexis Belton. Needing to beat 319 yards, she smoked her fifth attempt (out of eight) 322 yards to end the competition.

“I think I just made more money today than I had all year, so that helps because I’m self-funded for the most part," said Tubert, 26, a former three-time All-American at Arkansas and a contestant on Golf Channel's Big Break. "I’m going to enjoy it tonight and then I have to stay focused.”

Tubert wasn't far off. Her 1st-place check for $7,000 nearly matched the $7,606 she's made in eight LPGA starts this year. Watch her winning long drive of 322 yards:

Now that's a power fade.

Justin James won on the men's side with a 396-yard poke in the finals. As the top-ranked player in the sport, his latest victory was no surprise. But Tubert surprised everyone including her self while passing through on her way to this week's LPGA stop, the Women In Tech Championship in Indianapolis.

“Amazing, I didn’t know what to expect,” Tubert said. “I just came out to have some fun and it’s the first hardware I’ve had in a while, so it’s nice.”