The Epson Tour will be well represented on the LPGA Tour in 2015. In addition to the ten players that earned their card through the Volvik Race for the Card money list, a total of 24 former Epson Tour members earned LPGA Tour membership through LPGA Qualifying Tournament, which ended on Monday.
Nine of the 20 that earned LPGA membership through Category 12 at Qualifying Tournament played on the Epson Tour. Maria Hernandez (Pamplona, Spain) was the highest finisher of the group. She closed in a tie for 3rd at 9-under 351. Therese Koelbaek, who finished 31st on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2014, finished T11 with fellow 2014 Epson Tour player Cheyenne Woods.
In addition to Hernandez, Ryann O’Toole, Nannette Hill, Kelly Shon, Cheyenne Woods, Therese Koelbaek, Perrine Delacour, Garrett Phillips and Karlin Beck are all former Epson Tour members.
15 of the 25 that earned LPGA membership through Category 17 played on the Epson Tour. Julie Yang, Jacqui Concolino and Casey Grice all narrowly missed Category 12 in the three-hole playoff. The other 12 players are Nontaya Srisawang, Daniela Iacobelli, Natalie Sheary, Jean Reynolds, Lindy Duncan, Paola Moreno, Victoria Elizabeth, Emma de Groot, Jennifer Gleason, Caroline Westrup, Katy Harris and Giulia Molinaro.
“I wore my Epson Tour hat all week at Q-School and I’m thinking about still wearing it on the LPGA Tour in 2015,” said Grice, who finished 24th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2014.
Of the 32 players in the 2015 LPGA Tour rookie class, 12 have ties to the Epson Tour.