In her third full season on the Epson Tour, Jessica Porvasnik finds herself in a unique position: leading the Race for the Card without a win as the tour enters tournament number 14 of the season.

At this point last year, the Race for the Card leader Gabriella Ruffels already had two wins and a firm control of the top spot heading into the 14th event of the season. Porvasnik, on the other hand, has two runner-up finishes and only leads Fiona Xu by 74 points, while Ana Belac, who is No. 15 in the Race for the Card, is 431 points behind the leader, showcasing just how close of a race the 2024 season has been.

Porvasnik found little success when she turned professional, struggling to make it through Pre-Qualifying on multiple occasions. The 29-year-old's first full season on the Epson Tour did not come until 2022 after finishing No. 1 in the ANNIKA Women's All Pro Tour Race to Stage II (Qualifying) campaign in 2021. The top finish earned her a spot in Qualifying, where she earned full status on the Epson Tour after a T62 finish.

"It always seemed like I would have good summers playing state opens because I never had any status, and there really wasn't the WAPT back when I first turned professional. So, I was just playing a lot of state opens and grinded it out," explained Porvasnik. "I never made it through stage one, so that was always the hard part. Then, finally, when the WAPT started and you could skip stage one, that was how I progressed. Since I have had Epson Tour status, I just have been grinding it out."

Her first full season ended with the Ohio native at No. 79 in the Race for the Card and then improving in 2023 to No. 43 before really finding her stride this season. Porvasnik has doubled her career earnings and top-10 finishes during the 2024 season alone. She is nearing the coveted $100,000 mark and has done so with five top-10 finishes this season while coming into the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic off back-to-back top-10 placings.

Porvasnik has steadily been climbing the ranks since 2019, grinding out mini-tour events, multiple Q-Series experiences, and now multiple Epson Tour seasons, all to get a chance to compete with the world's best on the LPGA Tour. She now finds herself in the driver's seat to earn her LPGA Tour card for the first time and win Player of the Year honors along the way.

"I think I'm just really familiar with the Tour now and definitely worked on pieces of my game, too," said Porvasnik. "My putting has really been good this year. I've given myself a lot of opportunities and been able to capitalize on those. This game is not a game perfect. So, I've just been going out there, being very patient and playing the game I know I can play."

When the season started, Porvasnik's goal was to win an Epson Tour event. Despite all the success Porvasnik has found during her 2024 season, her only mindset remains to find the winner's circle.

"I think still not getting the victory, like that is one big goal of mine," said Porvasnik. "That's still out there. I still have something to work towards and if keep playing consistent golf, putting myself in contention, it is possible."

Jessica Porvasnik Leads the Race for the Card and is Still in Search of First Win

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