SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The 19th stop on the 2019 “Road to the LPGA” takes the Epson Tour to Willow Run Golf Course in the Mount Rushmore State for the fifth annual Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge from August 29-September 1. It is the first tournament in the Million Dollar March, the stretch of five events to end the season with a cumulative purse of $1 million.
“Concluding the year with a final run that includes one-fourth the total prize money for 2019 creates a buzz to set the stage for the next Epson Tour graduating class,” said Mike Nichols, the Chief Business Officer of the Epson Tour. “The opportunity for players to make drastic moves in the Volvik Race for the Card is before them and one can expect a wild sprint to the finish. It all ends with the top-10 on the money list at the conclusion of the Epson Tour Championship earning LPGA membership for 2020.”
Greeting the 144-player field in Sioux Falls is a total purse of $225,000. Individuals are set to compete in a 72-hole stroke play format with a cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. The winner’s share for the event is $33,750.
“Continuing to enhance the purse keeps Sioux Falls as a top destination for Epson Tour professionals and can provide even more of a major feel,” said Tom Walsh, the CEO of GreatLIFE. “Our mission at GreatLIFE is to enrich the lives of families and individuals through golf, fitness and healthy lifestyles. We are proud of our partnership with the Epson Tour and having LPGA stars of tomorrow help spread this message.”
Defending champion Linnea Ström (Hovas, Sweden) is not among the competitors, as she was a 2018 Epson Tour graduate. The victory in South Dakota’s largest city helped the alumna of Arizona State University finish at No. 5 in the Volvik Race for the Card.
“To capture my first professional win as a rookie at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge was a moment I will never forget,” Ström said. “My experience on the Epson Tour culminated in the victory and led to being part of the graduating class. I can’t be more thankful to the Sioux Falls community and GreatLIFE for the opportunity they provided me and all my fellow competitors. It is because of their devotion and impact in women’s professional golf that I am now able to live out my dream of playing on the LPGA.”
Action gets underway at 7:30 a.m. CT all four days with play starting off No. 1 and No. 10 tees in each round.
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