It’s officially major season on the LPGA Tour, the time of year when dreams come true. Every time this portion of the schedule rolls around, athletes achieve lifelong goals of teeing it up against the best in the world and hopefully hoisting a major championship trophy on Sunday afternoon.

Epson Tour graduates Yan Liu (2022) and Brooke Matthews (2024) are one step closer to living that dream, as the two finished their opening 18 holes strong in The Woodlands, Texas. Liu found herself in a share of first at 7-under after morning play concluded, while Matthews sat three back of the early lead in a share of third at 4-under.

Liu’s bogey-free 65 surprisingly isn’t her lowest round of the year thus far, as it follows a 63 that she recorded on day one of the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro last week en route to a solid performance at El Caballero Country Club. The People’s Republic of China native is no stranger to being in contention on both the LPGA and Epson Tours, and she even found herself in the winner’s circle at the Epson Tour’s Four Winds Invitational in 2022.

For Matthews, this tournament is a big one. It marks the Arkansas native’s third major start on the LPGA Tour, but it’s her first appearance in The Chevron Championship. It’s also her first major start as an LPGA Tour member.

Matthews’ 4-under 68 consisted of four birdies, two bogeys and an eagle that she made on the par-5 8th hole at The Club at Carlton Woods, giving Matthews her season-best start to a tournament. The 26-year-old has bounced between the LPGA and Epson Tours since turning professional, and even though some might not consider that to be a good thing, it’s allowed Matthews to get even more experience under her belt, reps that she will be leaning on this week after posting a good first-round score and putting herself in the mix early in Texas.

“My first time I was on Tour, I got in at the bottom half of Q-School, so I felt a lot of pressure on every start,” said Matthews. “That, and it was my first year playing professional golf. So having those couple years on the Epson Tour under my belt really, really helped me.

“Also, I just realized it's a really long season, and not everybody gets off to the best start. That doesn't mean you can't have a really great season. It's a marathon out here. You're going to have really good days and not good days, and that's just everybody's story.”

A win for either Liu or Matthews would mark their first on the biggest stage in women’s golf, making them the 2025 season’s fourth Rolex First-Time Winner. It would also be the 50th time a major title was won by an Epson Tour alum. There are still 54 holes remaining in one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year, but a hot start could be just what one of the pair needed to secure their first career LPGA Tour victory at The Chevron Championship.

Epson Tour Grads Liu and Matthews Find Early Success at The Chevron Championship

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