RTJ Capitol Hill, Ol' Colony are venues
The Epson Tour, the LPGA’s version of the Korn Ferry Tour, begins a two-week run in Alabama on Friday with the Guardian Championship.
Being played at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill, the Guardian Championship features the top 15 players among the 120 entrants in the Race for the Card standings. The total purse for the 54-hole tournament is $262,500 and 500 Race for the Card points. Fourteen of this season’s winners are in the field along with Huntsville native and former Epson Tour winner Janie Jackson. Amateur Jillian Friyia also received a sponsor exemption into the field.
The tour remains in the state next week when it visits Ol’ Colony in Tuscaloosa.
There are plenty of players with ties to Alabama or schools in the state. Cydney Clanton, a former Epson Tour winner, and Kaleigh Telfer, went to Auburn, while Lakareber Abe, Sarah Edwards, Jackson, Angelica Moresco, Lauren Stephenson and Kenzie Wright attended Alabama. Troy is represented by Fatima Fernandez Cano.
With only four tournaments remaining, the player of the year standings are tight. Eighteen-year-old rookie Yahui Zhang took over the No. 1 spot with a win last week at the Four Winds Invitational. In addition to her first victory, she has six top-10 finishes and is positioned to claim Epson Tour Player of the Year honors.
Also in the mix is rookie Fiona Xu, who dropped from first to third in the Race for the Card standings after Zhang’s win a week ago. Zhang leads the way on the money list in 2024 as well, bringing in $110,042 over 11 events played, needing just over $55,000 to pass Madeline Sagstrom’s 2016 single-season record.
Stephenson, the Alabama grad who should get plenty of crowd support the next two weeks, currently is second in the points race, just 24 points behind Zhang.
The other players in the top five are Jessica Porvasnik and Daniela Iacobelli, who occupy the fourth and fifth spots on the points list, respectively.
The top 15 players on the points list after the season-ending championship earn LPGA Tour cards. Troy’s Cano and Auburn’s Telfer currently rank 11th and 15th respectively on the points list and could use high finishes to help solidify their status.
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Featured image of Yahui Zhang courtesy of the Epson Tour
