The Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells is a must-win event for Heather Lin. Entering the season finale at 54th in the Race for the Card, preliminary projections read that only a first-place finish from the Epson Tour sophomore would give her a chance to finish in the top 15 in the Race and earn 2025 LPGA Tour Membership. Now, after grinding out an even-par round of 71 on Saturday to maintain the third-round lead, a win and a spot on the LPGA Tour is a very real possibility for Lin.

“I got off to a good start. I think I was 2-under through three. I gave myself some birdie chances and dropped a few,” said Lin of Saturday’s third round. “The conditions, I think it was a little tougher today physically, mentally with the heat and everything. And I think my putting wasn't as good as yesterday. So that's why my score wasn't as good. But I still gave myself a lot of opportunities.”

Lin started the third round with a two-stroke lead over her nearest competitors Clariss Guce and Hailee Cooper and extended it right away with two birdies on Nos. 2 and 3. However, bogeys on holes five and seven dropped her back, but she was able to add one more birdie on the par-3 9th hole before making the turn.

After turning in 34 and sitting at 1-under for the round, she made four straight pars before making another mistake with a bogey on 14. Sitting at even on the day but still in the lead at 12-under, Lin ground out four more pars, and that was ultimately enough to give her the solo lead heading into Championship Sunday.

A win at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells would be Lin’s first professional victory. In her two seasons as an Epson Tour member, Lin has recorded five top-10 finishes, including two in her first two starts of the 2024 season. Her T5 result at the Florida's Natural Charity Classic and T10 finish at the IOA Golf Classic presented by LPT Realty put her in a great spot in the Race for the Card initially, but she hasn’t been able to maintain that success as the season continued. However, Lin has done just enough at the season-ending tournament to have a chance at LPGA Tour Membership, and Sunday’s final round will be the determining factor.

“I feel like I've done a pretty good job staying consistent with my plan and playing my own game,” said Lin of her big opportunity tomorrow. “I know this week is very important for me, for my ranking, where I'm going to go for Q-School, but I try to focus on what I should be doing.”

Four players are tied for second, just one stroke behind Lin, and of those four, two are also fighting for a spot in the top 15 in the Race for the Card. A 2024 Epson Tour winner, Madison Young shot a 6-under 65 on Saturday, tying her career-low round to move from T18 to T2. Young is currently No. 12 in the Race for the Card and is fighting to move into the top 10 to secure even better status on the LPGA Tour in 2025.

Meanwhile, Saki Baba sits outside the top 15 at No. 18 in the Race and is working to get inside to earn LPGA Tour status for 2025. Baba followed her Friday 65 with a 68 on Saturday, and if she captures her first professional win on Sunday, the 2022 U.S. Women's Amateur winner could guarantee the Japan native LPGA Tour Membership next year.

Crystal Wang and Guce are also tied for second at -11 overall, but neither player has a mathematical chance of finishing in the top 15 in the Race for the Card. A finish in the top 35, however, would earn them free entry into LPGA Final Qualifying in December, as their tournament fee will be paid for by Seiko Epson Corporation, where they can continue to fight for 2025 LPGA Tour status.

Four players sit in a tie for sixth, and four others sit in a tie for 10th. Notable athletes at T6 are Cooper, Amelia Lewis and Pornanong Phatlum, who each have a chance to finish in the top 15 in the Race for the Card. At T10, Yahui Zhang has already clinched LPGA Tour status for 2025, but Benedetta Moresco, Miranda Wang and Cynthia Lu have not. All three have a mathematical chance to do so with good finishes on Sunday.

Heather Lin Hangs On Entering Final Round at Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells

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