Kemp, 37, shot a closing 69 at The Colony in Texas but the 54-hole deficit she conceded to South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim was too much for her.

Ultimately Kim also shot a 69 to win by four shots.

The former Australian junior champion finished fourth – her third top-10 finish of the season and the 12^th of a career that dates back to the 2009 season in America.

Her best-ever finish on the main tour was tied-second at the 2019 Vic Open at 13^th Beach.

The top 60 players on the tour’s points list will qualify for the CME Group Championship in Naples, Florida next month, worth $US7 million.

Kemp began the week ranked 72^nd and is headed for the Asia swing to lock up her place in the field for the season-ender, a group that already will include Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Grace Kim and possibly Stephanie Kyriacou.

“I’m definitely having one of my better years for sure,” she said. “I didn’t play well last week but I wasn’t too worried about it. Yeah, just been playing nice and solid this year. Nothing too crazy. Been putting well.

“I looked at my stats and they were some of the better ones this year than previous years, so just keeping it together and having a better attitude than I have in the last few years. Sometimes I think I have been trying a little too hard and wanting it a bit too bad, which is not a bad thing, but I think it sort of turned around and hurt some of my game at one point.”

Meanwhile Australia will have another player on the LPGA Tour next season after the conclusion of the Epson Tour today, with Gabriela Ruffels finishing the No. 1 player with her three wins.

Queenslander Robyn Choi needed a strong finish in the Tour Championship and ended up tied-14^th, but narrowly missed jumping into the top 10 on the points list and missed out on her LPGA card.

Elsewhere overseas Rhein Gibson (ranked 40^th) finished the Korn Ferry Tour as the top-ranked Australian but none of the Aussies found their way into the top 30 who pick up PGA TOUR cards for 2024.

Results

PGA TOUR

Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson

• 1 Luke List (playoff) 66-66-68-70 – 270 $1,476,000
• T28 Lucas Herbert 70-69-71-68 – 278 $53,768
• T28 Harrison Endycott 67-65-74-72 – 278 $53,768
• T43 Cameron Percy 70-68-71-71 – 280 $25,379
• MC Greg Chalmers 69-74 – 143

LPGA Tour

The Ascendant, The Colony, Texas

• 1 Hyo Joo Kim 64-68-70-69 – 271 $270,000
• 4 Sarah Kemp 67-71-69-69 – 275 $93,285
• T13 Sarah Jane Smith 71-70-71-69 – 281 $28,092
• T31 Hannah Green 69-73-73-71 – 286 $11,945
• T49 Karis Davidson 73-71-74-71 – 289  $6,207
• T67 Su Oh 73-69-75-78 – 295 $3,777
• MC June Song (a) 72-74 – 146

Korn Ferry Tour

Tour Championship, Victorian National Golf Club, Indiana

• 1 Paul Barjon 72-70-64-68 – 274 $270,000
• T14 Dimi Papadatos 68-74-72-69 – 283 $26,250
• T20 Curtis Luck 76-69-71-70 – 286 $14,813
• T36 Rhein Gibson 76-73-72-68 – 289 $7,875
• 60 Brett Drewitt 74-75-76-72 – 297 $5,640

Japan Tour

ACN Championship, Sanko Golf Club

• 1 Yuki Inamori (playoff) 68-67-70-66 – 271 ¥20,000
• T12 Brad Kennedy 69-72-71-67 – 279 ¥1,762,857
• T31 Andrew Evans 67-72-73-70 – 282 ¥573,750
• MC Adam Bland 75-69 – 144
• MC Anthony Quayle 72-73 – 145
• MC Dylan Perry 75-72 – 147

Ladies European Tour

Aramco Series, Hong Kong GC

• 1 Xi Yu Lin 69-66 – 135 $US71,239  
• 4 Stephanie Kyriacou 69-68 – 137 $19,234
• T11 Kirsten Rudgeley 71-72 – 143  $8,667
• T49 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-74 – 148 $2,168

DP World Tour

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

• Round 3 abandoned, play to resume Monday

PGA Champions

Constellation Furyk and Friends, Jacksonville

• 1 Brett Quigley 67-67-71 – 205 $315,000
• T2 Steven Alker (NZ) 69-69-68 – 206 $184,800
• T10 Rod Pampling 69-72-69 – 210 $52,500
• T15 John Senden 68-71-73 – 212 $29,937
• T15 Richard Green 68-69-75 – 212 $29,937
• T24 Stuart Appleby 71-70-72 – 213 $20,528
• T32 David McKenzie 78-69-68 – 215 $12,495
• T32 Mark Hensby 71-71-73 – 215 $12,495

Asian Tour

International Series Singapore, Tanah Merah Country Club

• 1 David Puig 64-66-66-73 – 269 $USx
• T14 Jack Thompson 69-68-69-74 – 280
• T23 Travis Smyth 70-73-70-69 – 282
• T31 Todd Sinnott 70-70-72-71 – 283
• T37 Ben Campbell (NZ) 68-74-71-71 – 284
• T44 John Lyras 72-68-74-72 – 286
• MC Brendan Jones 74-70 – 144
• MC Marcus Fraser 70-74 – 144
• MC Scott Hend 69-75 – 144
• MC Jed Morgan 73-72 – 145
• MC Douglas Klein 77-69 – 146
• MC Kevin Yuan 74-73 – 147
• MC Lincoln Morgan (a) 73-75 – 148
• MC Nick Voke (NZ) 76-72 – 148
• MC Terry Pilkadaris 72-76 – 148
• MC Andrew Dodt 74-75 – 149
• MC Josh Younger 77-76 – 153
• DQ Zach Murray 71

LET Access Series

Lombardia Ladies Open, Golf Club Varese, Italy

• 1 Sofie Kibsgaard Neilsen 66-73-69 – 208  $8,000
• 9 Kelsey Bennett 71-72-73 – 216 $1,300
• T35 Kristalle Blum 75-71-78 – 224 $511
• MC Amy Walsh 76-75 – 151
• MC Victoria Fricot 84-80 – 164

Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia

WA Open, Joondalup Country Club

• 1 Simon Hawkes 67-67-67-70 – 271 $175,000
• T2 Connor McKinney 65-71-71-66 – 273
• T2 Jason Norris 68-68-69-68 – 273
• T4 Braden Becker 70-73-68-65 – 276
• T4 Kerry Mountcastle (NZ) 71-65-71-69 – 276 

Epson Tour

Tour Championship, LPGA International, Florida

• 1 Auston Kim 71-64-65-65 – 265 $US37,500
• T14 Cassie Porter 72-68-66-67 – 273  $3,643
• T14 Robyn Choi 69-67-70-67 – 273 $3,643
• T14 Gabriela Ruffels 68-66-68-71 – 273 $3,643
• T38 Hira Naveed 71-70-67 – 71 279 $1,553

PHOTO: Sarah Kemp drives on her way to a closing 69 on the LPGA Tour today. Image: Getty