With three events remaining on the 2019 Epson Tour calendar, Jillian Hollis (Rocky River, Ohio) is the third player to secure a LPGA Tour card for 2020 as she is guaranteed to finish in the Volvik Race for the Card top-10.
In her second season on the “Road to the LPGA,” Hollis came sprinting out the gates with back-to-back top-20 finishes. That run was followed by the University of Georgia alumna stepping into the winner’s circle for the first time in her professional career at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
“I had a lot of confidence from my experience last year and all the work I put in over the offseason,” said Hollis. “I had really specific goals going into this year, obviously No. 1 being get a LPGA card. You have to establish a method to do that, so setting the goals and doing the right things to prepare for moments I would face was the most important reason I’m here now.”
Hollis won her second trophy at The Forsyth Classic presented by Decatur Park District, part of six total top-10s and $96,102 season earnings. Named a Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) First Team All-American in 2018, Hollis made her pro debut that year in the U.S. Women’s Open. She then went on to make the cut in eight of 12 starts as a rookie on the Epson Tour.
All the ups and downs have now led Hollis to the LPGA Tour. She is no stranger to the big stage having competed in the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, as well as the 2016 and 2018 Marathon Classic at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania. A northern Ohio native, it’s an event that Hollis is looking forward to just 120 miles up the road from where she was born and raised.
“I talked with [tournament director] Judd Silverman when the Marathon Classic was going on earlier this year after he offered me an exemption,” Hollis said. “I just wanted to focus on the Epson Tour and put all my energy in this to go there not needing an exemption by obtaining my card. I’m beyond excited to achieve that goal and can’t wait to play right near my hometown next season. I learned so much during my time on the Epson Tour and it really made me the player I am today.”