The Epson Tour was well represented on the LPGA Tour at the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio, this past week, with two current members and three graduates in the top 15. Ssu-Chia Cheng and Dottie Ardina, who both have dual status on the Epson and LPGA Tours this year, finished in a tie for third and a tie for seventh, respectively, both of their best LPGA Tour finishes to date.
2022 graduate Celine Borge earned her first top 10 finish of the year, sharing 7th with Ardina, her first since a tie for third place result at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship. Jiwon Jeon (2023) and Lucy Li (2022) were the other two graduates who earned top finishes, sharing 13th. The top finish was Jeon’s first of the year, a significant achievement in her journey from the Epson Tour to the LPGA Tour, with her previous best finish being T30 at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give in June. And despite the result not being Li’s best of the year, the top finish comes off of six missed cuts and brings some momentum heading into the rest of the season.
Two current members also recorded hole-in-one’s during the tournament. Epson Tour veteran and 2023 Champions Fore Change Invitational winner Alena Sharp ace’d Highland Meadow Golf Club’s 14th during Thursday’s opening round. The confidence a hole-in-one brings is just in time as the 43-year-old prepares to represent Canada in the 2024 Summer Olympics. To read more about Sharp’s ace, click HERE.
In addition to Sharp, Soo Bin Joo, a promising talent, recorded her first LPGA Tour career hole-in-one on the par-3 2nd hole during Sunday’s final round. Like Sharp, the Republic of Korea native earned membership for both the Epson and LPGA Tours this season, proving she belongs on the professional stage. Just one month prior to her ace, the 20-year-old won the Island Resort Championship presented by Delta County Chamber. To read more about Joo’s ace, click HERE.
Other Epson Tour members and alums who recorded top finishes include:
- Chanettee Wannasaen, Champion (alumnae)
- Mary Liu, T5 (alumnae)
- Pajaree Anannarukarn, T13 (alumnae)
- Hyo Joon Jang, T16 (alumnae)
- Jennifer Chang, T19 (current member)
- Alena Sharp, T19 (current member)
- Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, T19 (current member)
- Laetitia Beck, T19 (alumnae)
- Sarah Schmelzel, T19 (alumnae)
- Maja Stark, T19 (alumnae)
- Marina Alex, T19 (alumnae)
- Paula Reto, T19 (alumnae)
- Kiira Riihijarvi, T19 (current member)
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