MAINEVILLE, Ohio — Following her win at the 8th annual Island Resort Championship, Ruixin Liu (Dalian, China) moved up 26 spots in the Volvik Race for the Card to No. 5, capturing our “Move of the Week.”
In her second year on the Epson Tour, Liu has earned $37,301 across nine events, including a winner’s check of $26,250 from her victory.
“For me, it feels a little nerve-racking because I’m that kind of player I like to chase somebody else,” said Liu, who was in the top-10 earlier this year. “To be in there at the beginning, it felt a little nervous because it’s really hard to keep it. But now, I chased it back. It feels a little better than being there in the beginning.”
The performance also positions Liu just $166 behind No. 4 in the Volvik Race for the Card, Isi Gabsa (Munich, Germany), who finished tied for 15th at Sweetgrass Golf Club.
Meanwhile, the top of the standings feature familiar names and a small shakeup. Jenny Haglund (Karlstad, Sweden) still has the No. 1 spot on lockdown with $49,751 earned in eight starts. However, after a tied for 22nd result last week, Dottie Ardina (Laguna, Philippines) leapfrogs Elizabeth Szokol (Winnetka, Illinois) to slot right behind Haglund.
“It’s great to be in the position I am in right now because I have only played five events,” said Ardina, who has finished solo second twice this season and is coming off a tied for 22nd result. “I made a tough decision to withdraw from future LPGA Tour events that I was eligible to play in, starting with the Meijer LPGA Classic a few weeks ago. The smartest thing I can do now is finish the last 12 Epson Tour events strong to get my full LPGA card for 2019.”
As for the bottom half of the top-10, Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, Republic of Korea) is a newcomer. Her runner-up finish in Harris, Mich., launched her 16 spots into the No. 9 position. Rounding out the top-10 is Maia Schechter (Chapel Hill, N.C.).
Finally, just ahead of Kwak are three players that fell in the standings this week. Stephanie Meadow (Jordanstown, Northern Ireland) drops two spots to No. 6, followed by Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Florida) and Pajaree Anannarukarn (Bangkok, Thailand), both down one.
)
)
)
)
