The Florida Swing Continues with The Guardian Retirement Championship

SARASOTA, Fla., April 20, 2015 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, continues the Florida swing with the third annual Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay. This is the fifth Epson Tour event of the 2015 season. This is the second event in a row in the state of Florida. Last week, the Tour played in Fort Myers at Cypress Lake Country Club. 

 

The top 144 up-and-coming future LPGA Tour professionals will compete for a purse that has grown to $110,000. The winner of the event will earn $16,500 and take a significant step towards the top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 on the year-end money list earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2016 season. 

 

A strong field that includes eight of the top ten on the current Volvik Race for the Card money list will compete this week. Augusta James, who won last week and catapulted to No. 1 on the money list, will try to be the first to win two events this season. 

 

Defending champion Marissa Steen was the 2014 Epson Tour Player of the Year and is now playing full-time on the LPGA Tour. Steen carded a 3-under 69 on the final day to get into a playoff with Cindy Feng and then outdueled her on the fourth playoff hole. 

 

Christine Song won the event in 2013 while Esther Choe won the inaugural event in 2012. 

 

Sara Bay Country Club is one of the toughest courses that the Tour plays all year. Steen won the event at 3-under, Song won at 5-under and Choe won with a 1-over-par three-day total.