The Epson Tour makes its ninth stop of the 2024 season this week in Columbus, Indiana, for the Otter Creek Championship. This is the inaugural playing of the event at Otter Creek Golf Course, and a share of a $300,000 purse is up for grabs. Here are five things to know about the 2024 Otter Creek Championship:
Otter Creek Golf Course is a Championship Level Golf Course
Otter Creek Golf Course has a history of hosting championship-level tournaments, going back to the 1991 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. The course has also hosted the American Junior Golf Association Championship and the Indiana Men's State Amateur Championship, which the course has hosted 26 times. The Robert Trent Jones designed course is home to Jones' favorite designed hole, "Alcatraz," a 185-yard par 3 with green on an island framed by Indiana Sycamore trees.
The $300,000 Purse is one of the Largest Purses of the Season
The inaugural playing of the Otter Creek Championship will have one of the biggest purses of the season to go along with the championship course. The field will be playing for their share of $300,000, with the winner taking home a $45,000 check. The purse is tied for the third largest of the season, with the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic and Black Desert Championship the only two tournaments with a larger purse.
Seven 2024 Champions are in the Field
As we head into the ninth event of the season, seven of the eight champions in 2024 will be in Columbus to try and take home their second trophy of the year. The only champion not in the field is Ruixin Liu, who has been reshuffled into the LPGA Tour. A second win for any of the seven players in the field would move them near the top spot in the Race for the Card and one step closer to earning their LPGA Tour card for the 2025 season.
Four Indiana Natives are in the Field
Four Indiana natives will tee it up in their home state when the first-round rolls around on Friday morning. Erica Shepherd and Alexis Miestowski have both been Epson Tour regulars this season and will be joined by two tournament invitations from Indiana, Annabelle Pancake (a) and Cailyn Henderson. Shepherd enters the week coming off her first made cut of the season at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, while Annabelle Pancake just finished up her senior season at Clemson University.
An Already Strong Rookie Class is Getting Stronger
The 2024 season has seen a strong class of rookies coming through, with three rookies already winning this year, and the same three rookies are all currently in the top 10 in the Race for the Card. Juliana Hung and Fiona Xu are both in their first season and have become the only two players to reach the 20-under mark in Epson Tour history. Now, as the spring college season is coming to an end, several big-name rookies are joining the field. Former No. 1 ranked amateur in the world, Ingrid Lindblad, will be looking to make her first cut as a professional this week, while Amari Avery will look to start her professional career with two made cuts.
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