BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Serving as the final leg in the 2018 Potawatomi Cup, the fifth annual FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club from Aug. 17-19 features a 144-player field competing for a purse of $100,000.
Ever since her victory in the Four Winds Invitational, Maia Schechter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) continues to lead the race. She has accumulated 595.50 total points between her win, tied for 29th finish at the Island Resort Championship and tied for 16th result last week in Milwaukee for the PHC Classic.
With only one event remaining in the series, the former University of North Carolina standout has her eyes on the prize.
“I think focusing on the Volvik Race takes care of the Potawatomi Cup, and playing good golf takes care of it all,” said Schechter, who is currently No. 19 in the Volvik Race for the Card. “I’m excited at having the potential to win the Potawatomi Cup. The courses in the series have all been in the Midwest and they really fit my eye. I’m a strong driver of the golf ball and that helps with these courses.”
Close behind Schechter is Dottie Ardina (Laguna, Philippines). The current No. 1 in the Volvik Race for the Card captured 500 points following her fourth runner-up finish of the season at the PHC Classic.
Originally, Lauren Coughlin (Charlottesville, Virginia) was awarded the winner’s share, but only Epson Tour members are eligible to receive points. Therefore, she was taken out of the mix and points were allotted according to finish in the most recent event on the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour.
“I was really happy to learn about the point thing,” Ardina said. “This is the last event for the series, so we’ll see what happens. I won the Epson Swift Award for being No. 1 through the first half of the year and of course want to win more. It would be nice to get more trophies to bring back home.”
Furthermore, Ruixin Liu (Dalian, China) holds down the third spot. Her first career professional win at the Island Resort Championship, coupled with a tied for 35th finish in the PHC Classic, has Liu in contention with 532 points.
“This is the last chance, so I really want to be on the top at the end of the Potawatomi Cup,” said Liu, also No. 7 in the Volvik Race for the Card. “It’s just fun to have something else to shoot for and I’m really looking forward to it. I like the greens and the style of the course here. It’s pretty close to the Island Resort to me.”
Heading into the last tournament in the series, here is a look at the rest of the top-10 in the Potawatomi Cup points standings:
- Maia Schechter - 595.50 points
- Dottie Ardina - 546 points
- Ruixin Liu - 532 points
- Lori Beth Adams (Burlington, N.C.) - 350 points
- Casey Danielson (Osceola, Wisconsin) - 349 points
- Carlie Carr (Casselberry, Florida) - 312.83 points
- Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, Republic of Korea) - 294 points
- Eun Jeong Seong (Yongin, Republic of Korea) - 286.50 points
- Dana Finkelstein (Chandler, Arizona) - 247.83 points
- Louise Stahle (Lund, Sweden) - 245 points
In addition to the normal purse payout for each event, a total of $40,000 in bonus money is available to players based on performance, including $6,000 to the winner of the Potawatomi Cup. First through fifth place in each of the four tournaments receives an added incentive on top of their share. The winner will take home an additional $3,000 and second place collects $2,500. Furthermore, third place earns $1,500, with amounts from there for the final two spots decreasing in increments of $500.
“The FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship this week is the fourth and final Potawatomi Cup event before we crown a deserving champion,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Epson Tour. “As another great year for the Potawatomi Cup comes to a close, we owe it to the sponsors and host venues who continue to raise the standard for this series. We want to thank our four Potawatomi Nation events for providing our players with another significant bonus prize money pool.”
Last year, Benyapa Niphatsophon (Bangkok, Thailand) captured the Potawatomi Cup thanks to a tied for second result at the Island Resort Championship, tied for fourth finish at the Four Winds Invitational and going solo second at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. She edged out fellow 2017 Epson Tour graduate Erynne Lee (Silverdale, Washington), who came in a close second.
The inaugural Potawatomi Cup was won by Kwak in 2014, with Annie Park (Levittown, N.Y.) coming out the victor in 2015 and Laura Gonzalez Escallon (La Hulpe, Belgium) in 2016. Kwak is in the field for the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship and with a solid finish could become the first two-time Potawatomi Cup winner in Epson Tour history.
NEWLYWED GEER SET FOR THIRD CAREER EPSON TOUR START
What a summer it has been for amateur and Michigan State University (MSU) rising junior Allyson Geer (Lansing, Michigan), especially the month of August alone.
She got married on Saturday, Aug. 4, then left the next day for the U.S Women’s Amateur at the Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, just outside of Nashville. Back in the Great Lake State this week, Geer celebrated her 20th birthday yesterday and tees it up in the first round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship tomorrow at 8:03 a.m. ET off No. 1 tee.
“It has really been a fun summer between this tournament with the Epson Tour and the LPGA, then playing some Michigan tournaments,” said Geer. “I have played the past two years in the Tullymore Classic, but since they didn’t have it this year I got the opportunity to play here. Going off that, just trying to improve from the experience that I had.”
Through all the excitement, Geer also added another trophy to her mantel. The two-time All-Big Ten performer won the 27th Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) Women’s Championship last month at Muskegon Country Club.
“Winning in my home state is always great,” Geer said. “I love being a part of the Michigan State legacy and my coach has won so many times here in Michigan. It’s always fun being home and I used to play Muskegon CC when I was very young, so it was nice to go back.”
It’s just the latest piece of hardware for Geer in what is an impressive list of accomplishments in her amateur career. In 2015, she became the youngest player to win the Michigan Women’s Amateur. The following year, Geer defended her crown to become the third player in 23 years to win consecutive championships, while also claiming GAM Women’s Player of the Year honors.
Then in her rookie campaign at MSU, Geer was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She proceeded to enjoy a superb sophomore season as well, recording the second-lowest single-season scoring average in school history of 71.61. It led to Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) honorable mention All-American accolades.
Beside the two starts in the Tullymore Classic, Geer has also played in the Meijer LPGA Classic twice on a sponsor exemption. Now on the eve of her third start on the road to the LPGA, the phenom is looking to improve on a Epson Tour career-best showing of tied for 33rd from last year in Canadian Lakes.
“My parents will be out and I think a couple family friends, which will be nice,” said Geer, who will have husband Nick Park on the bag in Battle Creek. “It’s nice to play in Michigan since I don’t get to play a ton in the state with college tournaments and stuff like that. Always a fun week and nice when we’re local, so some family can get out and support.”
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