SIOUX FALLS, S.D., August 30, 2016 – The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, begins its home stretch this week at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge. The four-round event will begin on Thursday, September 1, and run through Sunday, September 4, at Willow Run Golf Club.
The 144 player field will be competing for a share of a $210,000 purse with a top prize of $31,500. The top-10 on the year-end Volvik Race for the Card money list will receive their LPGA Tour cards for the 2017 season.
The GreatLIFE Challenge is the second largest purse on the Epson Tour this season, and the largest left on the schedule meaning that the player who wins will take a large step in reaching their goal of qualifying for the LPGA Tour. In fact, a player as low as 33rd on the money list this week has the potential to jump into the top-10 with a win this week.
First round play begins on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. off of the first and 10th tees. There will be a cut to the top 60 and ties following second round play on Friday, September 2. The third and final rounds will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday off split tees in threesomes. The final round is expected to conclude at approximately 2:30 p.m. with a trophy ceremony on the 18th green.
In 2015, Caroline Westrup posted a 2-under 69 on Sunday to win the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge at 12-under 272. In her 62nd career start, Westrup earned her first career professional victory.
Perhaps the greatest testament to the quality of the Willow Run course in its inaugural year was that the best players found their way to the top of the leaderboard. Three of the top-5 and nine of the top-20 players are now playing full-time on the LPGA Tour.
EPSON PLAYERS HOST JUNIOR CLINIC
Five Epson Tour players - Hayley Davis, Clariss Guce, Erynne Lee, Dana Finkelstein and Vira Schlasberg – took time out of their busy schedules and joined 2011 National PGA Teacher of the Year Mike Malaska on Tuesday to host a junior clinic for over 30 local kids.“I thought it was a great turnout, probably one of the biggest junior clinic I’ve seen in my time out on the Epson Tour,” Finkelstein said. “All the kids really seemed to enjoy having Mike and us here and I was happy to help grow the game.”
The kids went through a variety of stations focusing on long game, short game, putting and the mental side of golf.
“It’s fun to see the joy in the children’s faces,” Schlasberg added. “That’s where we all started just having fun so it was nice to see that.”
LPGA PRO KIM KAUFMAN HAPPY TO SEE EPSON EVENT IN HER HOME STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA
LPGA pro and Epson Tour alum Kim Kaufman grew up in Clark, South Dakota, and is happy to see her home state hosting the GreatLIFE Challenge.“It means so much to me,” Kaufman said. “I played Epson four years ago and never thought we’d have an event in Sioux Falls. To have it be one of the biggest purses on the Tour makes me really proud to be from South Dakota but it doesn’t surprise me because when we do stuff we usually do it really well so I’m super happy.”
The event has extra meaning for Kaufman, who currently ranks 60th on the 2016 LPGA money list, as Willow Run is a track where she has spent a lot of time.
“I’ve played that course a million times my coach actually teaches out of there. It’s a great venue it’s a great place to play and I hope they all enjoy it.”
WHO’S IN THE FIELD
Field strength
Epson Tour Money List
10/10
19/20
29/30
36/40
45/50
2016 EPSON TOUR LEADERS
Wins – 2, Madele Sagstrom, Jackie Stoleting, Clariss Gruce, Laura Gonzalez Escallon
Top 10s – 8, Madelene Sagstrom and Peiyun Chien
Money List – $123,678, Madelene Sagstrom
Scoring Average – 70.68, Madelene Sagstrom
EPSON TOUR NUMBERS TO KNOW
6 – There are only six events left in the Epson Tour season
2nd – The $210,000 is the second largest in Epson Tour history
$123,678 – The $123,678 earned by Madelene Sagstrom has already set the Tour’s single season earnings record
21 – 21 of the 60 golfers in the Rio Olympics had ties to the Epson Tour, including gold medal winner Inbee Park
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