The inaugural Black Desert Championship saw some incredibly low scores, especially over the weekend. A few of those lower rounds were fired by Epson Tour alumni and helped them add even more top-10 finishes to their resumes, further proving that the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA is doing its job – preparing athletes to compete against the best golfers in the world.

Yan Liu (2023) had the best finish of Epson Tour graduates, picking her second consecutive top-10 result, thanks to back-to-back 65s in the third and final rounds in Utah. The People’s Republic of China native finished fourth at 19-under, following an impressive T9 result at the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year, The Chevron Championship, a tournament that saw her make an albatross in the second round.

Australian Grace Kim, who graduated from the Epson Tour in 2022, is still searching for another win, having won in her rookie season at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei. The Aussie got off to a hot start with an opening 65 at Black Desert Resort but Kim wasn’t able to break 70 again until the final round. A Sunday 66 brought her back near the top of the leaderboard to ninth place, what is her first top-10 finish of the season.

Just one shot behind Kim, in a share of 10th at 14-under, was 2023 Epson Tour graduate Auston Kim. The LPGA Tour sophomore has found herself in contention several times over the past year and a half but has not yet stood in the winner’s circle. The T10 result marks the Vanderbilt University alum’s first top 10 of the season and fourth of her career.

Of the 15 athletes who graduated in 2024, seven played weekend golf in the Utah desert, earning just over $100,000 combined. The most recent Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year, Yahui Zhang, was one of two with the best finish, joining Ana Belac in a share of 31st at 10-under.

Take a look at where the 2024 graduates fell on the final leaderboard at the Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion:

Yahui Zhang – T31, -10
Ana Belac – T31, -10
Ingrid Lindblad – T36, -9
Jenny Bae – T40, -8
Miranda Wang – T40, -8
Lauren Morris – T60, -2
Madison Young – T67, +3
Fatima Fernandez Cano – MC
Jessica Porvasnik – MC
Brooke Matthews – MC
Fiona Xu – MC
Cassie Porter – MC
Pornanong Phatlum – MC
Daniela Iacobelli – MC
Heather Lin – MC

Epson Tour Graduates Have Strong Finishes at Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion

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