At the conclusion of the Guardian Championship in Prattville, Ala., Lauren Stephenson learned she would be returning to the LPGA Tour for the 2025 season.

With her Tour card secured for the next year, Stephenson’s focus shifted to earning Epson Tour Player of the Year honors, which is awarded to the Epson Tour athlete who finishes first on the Official Points List at the end of the season. After a T8 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, the South Carolina native achieved that goal, walking away from the season finale with her head held high.

“It was a very special season. I'm super proud of myself,” said Stephenson. “I wasn't sure starting the year what tour I was even playing on because I had dual status. Finishing the year out here being number one is more than I thought at the beginning of the year.”

Stephenson previously played on the LPGA Tour for five seasons, finishing 10th in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings in 2019. The 27-year-old enjoyed a strong first four years on the LPGA Tour, earning five top-10 finishes and an additional 12 top-25 finishes before the start of 2023, including a T9 at the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

An underwhelming 2023 campaign sent Stephenson back to the Final Qualifying portion of LPGA Q-Series, where she finished T27 and earned dual status on the LPGA and Epson Tours for the first time in her career for the 2024 season.

In 2024, Stephenson competed in only five LPGA Tour events, one of which was the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally after making her way through sectional qualifying. The rest of her time was spent on the Epson Tour, where she played in 15 of 19 events, claiming 8 top-10 finishes along the way, including her first professional victory at the 2024 Twin Bridges Championship.

She battled with rookie Yahui Zhang and fellow 2024 graduate Jessica Porvasnik for Player of the Year honors, with both players holding the top spot for multiple weeks throughout the season. Stephenson held the No. 1 position heading into the final event of the year and maintained her ranking by the end of the week, becoming the 41st athlete to earn Epson Tour Player of the Year honors.

“I never got ahead of myself,” said Stephenson. “I didn't watch the Race for the Card at all. I barely even looked at leaderboards this week. I just focused on what I could control and enjoyed wherever we were playing. It's a long season, and I'm really happy to be where I am. To make it back in a good fashion, it feels really good. I feel really confident and happy in myself.”

The Epson Tour Player of the Year award has been won by a storied group of athletes, with Stephenson now adding her name to the list. Athletes who have earned Epson Tour Player of the Honors include major champions Lilia Vu and Lorena Ochoa, as well as LPGA Tour winners Madelene Sagstrom, Linnea Strom and Annie Park.

Along with the Epson Tour Player of the Year Award, Stephenson took home $5,000 provided by the Seiko Epson Corporation for her outstanding performance during the season. The additional reward is just one of Epson’s many contributions to elevating both the Epson Tour and women’s golf. For more information about the Epson Tour Player of the Year Award, please click here.

Lauren Stephenson Earns 2024 Epson Tour Player of the Year Honors

Related Articles