The Epson Tour, a platform of firsts, serves as a stepping stone in a player's career, from their inaugural professional event to a course hosting a tournament for the first time. It's a common trajectory for Epson Tour athletes to secure their first professional win on the 'Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA' before ascending to the LPGA Tour. Notably, five of the eight winners on the LPGA Tour in 2024 all clinched their first professional win on the Epson Tour, including the likes of Nelly Korda and Hannah Green, before reaching the winner's circle on the LPGA.
The 2024 season on the Epson Tour has been a testament to the competitive spirit of the players, with seven out of the eight champions this year earning their first professional wins. Ruixin Liu stands out as the only exception, securing the 2024 Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic for her seventh career win on the Epson Tour. The journey to the first win varies for each player, with three rookies claiming their first victories this year, while the other four players had to wait at least a year before lifting the trophy.
Two rookies became the first two players to break the 20-under mark for a 54-hole tournament as well, with Juliana Hung accomplishing the feat first at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, finishing the event at 21-under par, setting the all-time scoring record on the Epson Tour and winning the tournament by 9-shots. The record would only last a short time; however, just three tournaments later, Fiona Xu would win her first Epson Tour event at the 2024 Copper Rock Championship, winning the event with the new and current Epson Tour record of 22-under. Xu also finished runner-up behind Hung when she set the record, using it as motivation and a chance to one-up one of her friends on Tour.
"Juliana's my friend, and I'm happy for her. She played really well. I wished that I could do that too, and I was happy I was able to," explained Xu after her victory at the Copper Rock Championship. "I didn't really expect to, you know, break the record, but I just played how I wanted to play and just took every opportunity on the course I had."
On Friday, the first playing of the Otter Creek Championship will begin, marking another first for the Epson Tour this year, joining the Atlantic Bach Classic as another first-time event for the 2024 season. Otter Creek Golf Course has a rich history of hosting prestigious amateur events, with the club hosting the 1991 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, the American Junior Golf Association Championship, and the Indiana Men's State Amateur Championship 26 times. But this will be the first major professional event the course has hosted, adding to the list of exciting firsts for the Epson Tour.
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