With the CME Group Tour Championship rounding out the 2024 LPGA Tour season this week, two rookies and many recent Epson Tour alumni are teeing it up at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Fla. The season finale is an exclusive event, only seeing the top 60 players in the Race to the CME Globe rankings eligible to compete, making the feat of earning entry as a rookie even more impressive. Three additional alumni found themselves outside of the top 60 but inside the top 80 of the Race, guaranteeing them status in Category 1 on the 2025 LPGA Priority List.

Epson Tour alum Nataliya Guseva has found success early in her LPGA Tour career, easily making it inside the top 60 cutoff for the CME Group Tour Championship. The 21-year-old had finished the regular season at No. 28 in the Race to the CME Globe rankings and was 89th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings ahead of the season-ending tournament. As a rookie, Guseva has carded five top-10 finishes, including a season-best second-place result at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, and is still in search of her first career LPGA Tour victory.

Just two spots and 28.209 points behind Guseva is 2023 Epson Tour Player of the Year, Gabriela Ruffels. The 2024 LPGA Tour rookie ranked 30th in the Race to the CME Globe points and joins Guseva as the only other 2023 Epson Tour alum to compete in the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship. Despite a minor setback at 2022 LPGA Q-Series, which delayed her debut on the LPGA Tour, Ruffels has shown she has what it takes to not only compete on the biggest stage in women’s golf but also be one of the best. The 24-year-old earned four top-10 finishes during her rookie season, including a solo third result at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May.

Auston Kim, who was third in the Race for the Card rankings in 2023, made a late-season push for entry into the CME Group Tour Championship but ultimately finished 64th on the Race to the CME Globe Points List. Despite missing out on the LPGA Tour’s season finale by just four points, the Florida native will retain her card for the 2025 season and will carry plenty of confidence into her sophomore season.

“I am extremely grateful for my first season on the LPGA,” said Kim in an Instagram post recapping her rookie season. “It wouldn’t be possible without my family, my team and sponsors. There were many valleys and challenges throughout the year, but I am super proud to have finished the season strong. I learned so much about my game and what I’m capable of.”

Also inside the top 80, earning the best status there is for the 2025 LPGA Tour season, are Hira Naveed and Kristen Gillman. Naveed earned 2024 LPGA Tour status via 2023 LPGA Q-Series and finished her rookie season at 72nd in the Race to the CME Globe rankings, thanks to 11 made cuts and a second-place finish at the Ford Championship presented by KCC.

For the second year in a row, Gillman finds herself just inside the cutoff for full status in 2025. In 2023, the Texas native went birdie-eagle on Nos. 17 and 18 at the Epson Tour Championship to finish 10th in the Race for the Card rankings and become the final athlete to secure their 2025 LPGA Tour card because of their finish on the season-long money list. Now, in large part due to two top-10 finishes at the 2024 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, Gillman wrapped up her year at 80th in the Race to the CME Globe, earning the last top-80 spot in Category 1 on the 2025 LPGA Priority list.

This week, the CME Group Tour Championship field features various Epson Tour alumni outside of Guseva and Ruffels, including 2024 LPGA Tour winners Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Linnea Strom, Bailey Tardy and Hannah Green. In all, 496 LPGA Tour titles have been claimed by Epson Tour alum, validating the Tour’s status as the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA.

With a whole new season ahead in 2025, plenty of athletes who got their start on the Road to the LPGA could have a chance at finding the winner’s circle and becoming the next great talent on the LPGA Tour next year.

Where Are They Now: 2023 Epson Tour Alumnae

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