As the 2025 Epson Tour season is coming to a close, every tournament is growing increasingly important for players and where they stand on the season-long Race for the Card points list. Every point means something for someone, whether it’s breaking the top 100, top 80, or even trying to secure Player of the Year honors. It’s “crunch time,” where every moment becomes make or break.

And on top of the Race for the Card, athletes must also think about the LPGA Qualifying Series (Q-Series), the official pathway to earning Epson and LPGA Tour status for the following season.

Here’s How it Works for Epson Tour Athletes:

Players ranked No. 1-15 will receive LPGA Tour Cards for the 2026 season following the Tour Championship in Indian Wells, Calif., on October 5th
Players ranked No. 11-35 will earn an automatic exemption into the Final Qualifying Stage
Players ranked No. 36-125 will earn automatic exemption into the Qualifying Stage, with the possibility of playing their way to Final Qualifying
Players ranked outside of the top 125, or unranked, will need to compete at the Pre-Qualifying Stage

The journey to earn 2026 status starts with the Pre-Qualifying stage, set to begin on Wednesday, September 24. For the first time in Q-Series history, the tournament will take place at three locations across the United States: Indian Wells Golf and Country Club in Indian Wells, Calif., LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Denton Country Club in Argyle, Texas. The field size at each of the three pre-qualifying sights is open to 120 players, and after 36 holes of competition, there will be a cut to the top 65 and ties.

In hopes of avoiding the Pre-Qualifying stage and keeping focus on the remainder of the 2025 Epson Tour schedule, Epson Tour members not ranked or ranked outside of the top 125 on the 2025 Epson Tour Race for the Card Points list have a very crucial week ahead of them. The Dream First Bank Charity Classic in Garden City, Kan., is one of the last events of the season where players can move up in the rankings to secure their position in the top 125, allowing them to skip the Pre-Qualifying Stage and earn an exemption into the Qualifying Stage of the LPGA Q-Series.

For some athletes, this means a top finish at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course is necessary, making the week a pivotal point of the 2025 season.

Hovering right around the top 125 heading into the Dream First Bank Charity Classic is rookie Caroline Canales, who made her professional debut this season following her collegiate career at UCLA. The 22-year-old competed at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, earning a T30 finish, but did not find immediate success when transitioning to the professional stage.

Canales has made five cuts in 13 starts and currently sits at 122nd in the Race for the Card rankings, but her season is not over. After a T23 performance at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, the California native jumped 23 spots in the rankings, now sitting within the top 125 and proving how important the end-of-season push truly is.

Another player who understands what being on the cusp of No. 125 in the Race for the Card standings is Epson Tour sophomore Sabrina Iqbal. The 24-year-old is coming off the first top-10 finish of her career at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, making her jump 85 spots in the Race for the Card leaderboard. The University of Colorado graduate is now No. 45 and secured her position in the Qualifying Stage of the LPGA Q-Series. After spending a majority of the season ranked outside the top 125 (and ties) Iqbal is looking forward to continuing her momentum this week, heading into the Dream First Bank Charity Classic.

Keep an eye on the Dream First Bank Charity Classic leaderboard starting Friday, August 22nd, to see which Epson Tour players can climb the Race for the Card rankings and make a final push at achieving their dream of playing on the LPGA Tour.

Critical Week Ahead: Epson Tour Players Battle to Improve Race for the Card Rankings as the Season Concludes

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