There are not many events on the Epson Tour that mean as much as the Black Desert Resort Championship. This week will be the third and final event of the 2023 season with a purse greater than $300,000, coming in at $375,000. The Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic and the French Lick Resort Charity Classic both put up purses of $335,000.
The impact of winning one of these events has been evident in the 2023 season, with Gabriela Ruffels and Jiwon Jeon winning the two previous elevated-purse events earlier this year and both of them are sitting inside the top three in the Race for the Card. Ruffels has already clinched her card for the 2024 LPGA Tour season, with Jeon not far behind her, looking to become the second player this year to clinch her card.
The Black Desert Resort Championship is a prime opportunity for players lower down on the Race for the Card standings to make a jump up into the top 10. Several players in the top 40 have flirted with a win this year, showing they can compete and possibly end up in the top 10 by the end of the Epson Tour Championship. Amelia Garvey currently holds the No. 31 spot in the Race for the Card but has a runner-up finish this year at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. Garvey has proven that she has the game to compete to win each week and to compete at the highest level, qualifying for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. The Australian heads into the week knowing what a strong performance at Solider Hollow Golf Club would do for her, but she will not let it dictate her play.
“This week is obviously a great opportunity to play well and make a jump up the money list,” explained Garvey. “There is more on the line and I’m excited to get started. I think at bigger events like this you can put more pressure on yourself to perform which is going to be more harmful than good. So, nothing changes in terms of how I’m going to go about my week.”
For the players just on the outside looking in, this week could be the week they see themselves moving into the top 10. With a purse almost double the size of an average Epson Tour event, a top finish for the players just outside the top 10 in the Race for the Card is all they would need to move up the rankings. Among the players looking for a big week are Robyn Choi and Auston Kim. Choi and Kim have 12 top-10 finishes between them in the 2023 season, and another top-10 finish this week would in all likelihood put them into the top 10 on the Epson Tour Official Money List.
“I think with the purse being close to double this week it is going to be an important week as it could mean sealing my card for next year,” said Choi. “It would be great if I play well, but I don’t think putting extra pressure or changing my game plan is going to make me play any better. I’m just going to focus on one shot at a time and put in my best effort and let the results come.”
Kim is just taking the tournament in stride and not looking too far ahead. For her, this is just like any other week competing on the Epson Tour.
“This is just another tournament for me, and I don’t want to add on any pressure,” said Kim. “My plan is the same, fairways and greens, staying calm, and executing the best I can. I’m taking it one shot at a time and enjoying the moment.”
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