DAVIDSON, NC — A total of 144 players will take on the challenge of the River Run Country Club starting with Friday’s first round of the tenth-annual Epson Classic.
Three featured groups highlight the competition at the sixth event of the 2021 Epson Tour season.
Allie White, Laetitia Beck, Peiyun Chien (No. 1, tee, 8:14 a.m.)
This trio is led by Allie White (Lancaster, Ohio) coming into the week after qualifying for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open. The University of North Carolina alumna was a 2011 ACC Team Championship winner and NGCA Academic All-American. This season, White has made two cuts in four starts and has a season-best finish of T10 at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic.
Next is Laetitia Beck (Caesarea, Israel), the first player from Israel to compete on the LPGA Tour. She was a four-time All-ACC selection for Duke University from 2010-2014 and named Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) First Team All-American in 2014. Beck represented her native country at the 2016 Summer Olympics and finishes T31.
Finally, Peiyun Chien (Pingtung, Chinese Taipei) is back for the 2021 Epson Classic to defend her title from last season. The win in Daytona Beach, Fla. was her second career-win on the Epson Tour (her first came in 2016 at the Kansas City Championship). At the conclusion of last year, Chien finished No. 9 in the “Race for the Card” with $38,013.
Ana Belac, Frida Kinhult, Allison Emrey (No. 1 tee, 1:03 p.m.)
A two-time All-ACC selection for Duke University, Ana Belac (Portoroz, Slovenia) returns to Davidson, NC this week. Last year, she was named the Player of the Year at River Run Country Club following the conclusion of the 2020 season. The former Blue Devil was a member of the victorious International Team at the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup and competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April of 2019. Belac will make her third start this season and has a T17 at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
Frida Kinhult (Fiskebackskil, Sweden) is back at River Run Country Club where she claimed her first win at the Epson Tour Championship last fall and took home a check of $26,250 to help her finish No. 4 in the Race for the Card. The two-time winner of the European Ladies Team Championship (with Team Sweden) was also a three-time medalist in her time at Florida State University. In 2019, Kinhult shared ACC Player of the Year honors with now LPGA Tour Member Jennifer Kupcho. This is Kinhult’s sixth start of the season.
Joining this group is Allison Emrey (Charlotte, North Carolina), just 20 miles down the road from her hometown. A Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Honorable Mention All-American as a senior at Wake Forest University in 2015, claimed three top-10 finishes last season with a season-best runner up at the Carolina Golf Classic presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Cheyenne Woods, Lori Beth Adams, Carley Cox (No. 10 tee, 2:31 p.m.)
Monday afternoon at Spring Lake Country Club, Cheyenne Woods (Phoenix, AZ) qualified for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open. This week the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon travels to North Carolina for the Epson Classic. Woods was a three-time All-ACC Member, two-time All-American and 2011 ACC Individual Champion while competing for Wake Forest. Last year Woods claimed on top-10 finish in four starts at the Four Winds Invitational.
Lori Beth Adams (Burlington, North Carolina) not only back in her home state but also where she starred collegiately at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Women’s Golfer of the Year for the Seahawks was also selected as the 2015 Carolina Golf Association Player of the Year. She has six top-10 finishes in 38 career starts on the Epson Tour.
Completing the final group, Carley Cox (China Grove, North Carolina) an East Carolina University graduate. A three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar, Cox was selected to the 2018 All-ACC Team as a junior. This week is Cox’s sixth start as a professional on the Epson Tour.
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