KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) – In World Long Drive’s return to the Tri-Cities, a lively Monday crowd looked on, as a long-time veteran and a tour newcomer hoisted trophies.

By the afternoon, the Women’s Division had whittled its way down to the quarterfinals. A pair of seasoned pros, with nearly ten world titles between them, faced-off in the finals.

World No. 3 Phillis Meti hit a drive of 343 yards in the semifinals, but Sandra Carlborg’s drive of 316 yards in the championship showdown proved to be enough to take home the hardware.

“I was like, ‘I need to hit it as hard as I can here,'” Carlborg said. “But, sometimes it’s enough with 316.”

It was the first victory for Carlborg since 2019 – and her first since becoming a mother.

“I mean, honestly I didn’t know if I would win again after having two kids,” she said. “So, I’m so, so, so happy – and hard work pays off.”

In the Open Division, the quarterfinals featured top talents like World No. 1 Martin Borgmeier and World No. 2 Kyle Berkshire. But, it was the rookie, Jack Smith, out of Shreveport, Louisiana, who topped them both.

Smith registered the longest drive of the tournament at 403 yards in the semifinals to defeat Borgmeier, before cranking a 401-yard drive in the finals to win his first pro tournament.

“He’s kind of been somewhat of a secret in the world of golf for the last four or five months,” Berkshire said after the match. “People don’t realize how good this kid is. He’s going to be top-three in the world within about four or five months.”

On Monday, however, Smith found out just how hard it is to put away some of the sport’s best.

“You start to realize how much pressure you have to put on these guys, because they’re not holding back,” he said. “They’re there for a reason. So, it’s pretty surreal being there.”

For a guy who didn’t start taking the sport seriously until January, even he hasn’t had time to process his meteoric rise and first-career victory.

“Definitely unreal,” he said. “I’m sure it’s going to set in at some point. I’ll just keep watching it back.”

The World Long Drive will continue its season in Oceanside, California on September 29.