GREENWOOD, S.C., May 2, 2016 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, begins a five-week stretch of events with the most anticipated event on the schedule, the 3rd annual Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic at The Links at Stoney Point. The fifth event of the season offers the largest purse ($250,000) and winner’s payout ($37,500) in the 36-year history of the Tour. There is a new twist this year as the Legends Tour will compete on Sunday and there will be two winners on the 18th green.
The top 144 professionals from the U.S. and 25 different countries around the globe will compete for a potentially life-changing winner’s check. Based on the current Volvik Race for the Card money list, the winner of this event will likely move into the top three. The top 10 on the final money list after the Epson Tour Championship (October 13-16) will earn LPGA membership for the 2017 season.
First-round play for the Epson Tour begins on Thursday, May 5 and the 72-hole event will conclude on Sunday, May 8. Play will begin at 7:30 a.m. all four days of the tournament. The Legends Tour will play an 18-hole tournament on Sunday. The Epson Tour field will be cut to the top 60 and ties after second-round play on Friday, April 6.
The Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic has continually set the standard for top purses since the inaugural 2014 tournament. Prior to the 2014 season, the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic became the first tournament to offer a $200,000 purse. Last year, the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge offered a $210,000 purse. Now, Greenwood is again the home of the largest purse on Tour with an increase of $50,000 to $250,000.
In 2013, there were no $200,000 tournaments. Greenwood became the first in 2014 and now there are five tournaments that over a minimum purse of $200,000 (Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial - $200,000, Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic - $200,000, Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge - $210,000 and Epson Tour Championship - $200,000).
The field is strong this week with seven of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list scheduled to compete.
The Links at Stoney Point is a challenging test of golf. In 2014, Wei-Ling Hsu won at 8-under, 280 while Alejandra Llaneza won last year at 10-under. In two years, the low single-day round is a 5-under 67. Only five players have posted a 67 including just one in 2015.
24 LEGENDS TOUR PLAYERS TO TEE SUNDAY: The Legends Tour is back part of a second Epson Tour event this year. A field of 24 Legends Tour players will compete for a $100,000 purse in an 18-hole tournament on Sunday at The Links at Stoney Point. The Legends Tour tee times and Epson Tour tee times will alternate. The Legends Tour pairings will be mixed in starting with the final eight Epson Tour pairings.
48-time LPGA Tour winner Nancy Lopez headlines the field. Lorie Kane, who won the Legends Tour portion of the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial, is also in the field. Rosie Jones, who has the most Legends Tour wins (7), is also scheduled to play.
“I am looking forward to playing in Greenwood because it is a peaceful, happy place for me,” said Lopez. “The hospitality of everyone at Stoney Point is fantastic.”
The full list of Legends Tour players includes Amy Alcott, Jane Blalock, Jane Crafter, Elaine Crosby, Cindy Figg-Currier, Allison Finney, Gail Graham, Christa Johnson,Cathy Johnston -Forbes, Rosie Jones, Lorie Kane, Nancy Lopez, Michelle McGann, Cindy Miller, Barb Mucha, Cindy Rarick, Laurie Rinker, Nancy Scranton, Val Skinner, Hollis Stacy, Jan Stephenson, Kris Tschetter, Sherri Turner and Lori West.
SAGSTROM WITH CHANCE TO CLOSE IN ON EARNINGS RECORD, ALREADY: The No. 1 player on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, Madelene Sagstrom, is off to an impressive start this year. She finished T3 at the IOA Championship, T2 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, won the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial and finished T5 at the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay. She has played in the final group on Sunday in three of the four events.
Sagstrom already became the quickest to ever cross $50,000 in earnings after her win at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial. With a win in Greenwood, she would move her season earnings to $93,714, which would be the second highest single-season total in Tour history. Cindy LaCrosse holds the single-season earnings record of $94,578 in 15 starts back in 2010. Only two players in Tour history have earned over $90,000 in a single-season. Vicky Hurst won four times in 2008 and collected $93,107.
Sagstrom leads the Tour in scoring average (70.615), ranks 13th in greens in regulation (68.4%) and is third in average driving distance (274.462). Of her 13 rounds, only two have been over-par.
Sagstrom was the 2015 SEC Player of the Year at LSU and was a First-Team All-American.
LOCALS HOPING TO MAKE A MARK: The person with the most rounds at The Links at Stoney Point in the field is Donette Godwin, who took home the Ladies Club Championship in October of 2015. Godwin is playing as an amateur.
Conway, South Carolina native Kristy McPherson will play tee it up in her home state. McPherson has 16 career top 10 finishes on the LPGA Tour in 193 starts.
There are two in the field that played college golf in Greenville at Furman - Laura DeMarco and Laura Wearn. DeMarco was named to the 2014-15 All-SoCon Team and helped the Paladins win their 14th SoCon title.
O’CANADA DOMINATING TOUR EARLY: There are currently four Canadians in the top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list including No. 2 Samantha Richdale, who won the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. Richdale is not in the field for the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic, but No. 7 Augusta James (Bath, Ontario), No. 8 Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Toronto) and No. 10 Jessica Wallace (Vancouver) will play in Greenwood. No other country besides the United States (two) has more than one player in the top 10.
There are five total Canadians in the top 20 as Sara-Maude Juneau is currently No. 20.
A Canadian has finished inside the top 10 in all four events and four Canadians placed in the top 10 at the IOA Championship.
The last player from Canada to earn an LPGA card through the Epson Tour was Sue Kim, who finished sixth in 2013.
OF NOTE
• There are two players in the field - Nelly Korda and Madison Pressel - that have older sisters on the LPGA. Nelly is the younger sister of Jessica while Madison is the younger sister to Morgan. Both Jessica and Morgan have won on the LPGA.
• The winner of the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic has earned an LPGA Tour card at the end of both seasons. Wei-Ling Hsu finished sixth on the money list in 2014 and Alejandra Llaneza finished seventh in 2015.
• Sara-Maude Juneau (Quebec, Canada) has maybe played the course better than anyone over the last two years. She finished T8 in 2014 and T14 in 2015.
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