Yahui Zhang, Lauren Stephenson, Fatima Fernandez Cano and Jessica Porvasnik clinch the first four of 15 LPGA Tour cards following the Guardian Championship

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Four athletes have mathematically clinched their 2025 LPGA Tour card through the Epson Tour's Race for the Card following the Guardian Championship. Yahui Zhang and Jessica Porvasnik will become 2025 LPGA Tour rookies, while Lauren Stephenson and Fatima Fernandez Cano will return to the biggest stage in women’s golf full-time. The four players secured their spot in the top 15 with three tournaments still to play in the 2024 Epson Tour season.

Yahui Zhang, currently No. 1 on the Epson Tour's Official Points List, earned LPGA Tour Membership after a T5 finish at the Guardian Championship. As a 2024 Epson Tour rookie, Zhang secured two top-10 finishes in her first three starts of the year. Just a month later, the 18-year-old had her first chance to win on the Epson Tour, going into a playoff with Savannah Vilaubi at the Otter Creek Championship. The People’s Republic of China native came up just short in Indiana, ultimately falling to Vilaubi in a playoff but continued her solid play, adding two more top-10 finishes to her 2024 resume before finally breaking through and earning her first professional victory at the Four Winds Invitational, a win that moved her to No. 1 in the Race for the Card.

“It's pretty exciting,” said Zhang. “When I talk to my mom, I think she's going to cry. I have a lot of allies. My coach is Shanshan Feng and because she's played LPGA before, she gave me a lot of suggestions. And my parents always accompany me, and that gives me a lot of confidence.”

A University of Alabama alum Lauren Stephenson secured her LPGA Tour card just days before heading back to her alma mater to play in the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic. The 27-year-old first became an LPGA Tour Member in 2019 and played full-time on the circuit throughout her first five years as a professional, earning a career-best finish of T7 at the 2021 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. The South Carolina native has played 11 events this season on the Epson Tour, recording six top-10 finishes, including her first professional win at the Twin Bridges Championship. A bulk of Stephenson’s points came during her last four events, with her win in New York and her runner-up performance at the Four Winds Invitational moving her to No. 2 in the Race for the Card.

"I've never done it through the Epson Tour, so this is kind of a new route and journey for me,” said Stephenson. “I only went through Q-Series my first year when I turned pro, so this year was a little bit different, but I'm super excited to have that top-15 spot. It's probably the most coveted position to be in going on to LPGA next season. You have the best status, so I'm really excited.”

The Epson Tour’s most recent champion Fatima Fernandez Cano secured her spot in the top 15 on Sunday afternoon after winning the Guardian Championship. The 500 points she earned as part of her victory put the Spaniard well above the 1,155-point threshold (1,302.342) needed to secure her card and moved her up eight spots in the Race for the Card rankings, from No. 11 to No. 3. The 28-year-old's rise to the top comes as of late, and is largely due to a second-place finish at the Four Winds Invitational and the recent win in Prattville, Ala. The victory marked her fourth top-10 finish of the season and proves the soon-to-be three-time Epson Tour graduate is ready to be back on the LPGA Tour full-time.

“At the beginning of the year, I honestly just wanted to keep my card over here,” said Fernandez Cano. “Once I started playing a little bit better, I thought maybe I could get into the top 35 and go straight to finals of Q-School, and now to be here is just insane. It was not even on my radar, to be honest. So I'm just very happy. The last couple of years have been quite crazy. I didn't think I was going to be here playing today, so to clinch my card, I'm very happy and very proud of it.”

Rounding out the group is Ohio’s Jessica Porvasnik, who earned her LPGA Tour card during her best season yet on the Epson Tour. Since first securing status in 2018, the 29-year-old has earned nine top-10 finishes, five of which came from the 2024 season, and is currently No. 4 in the Race for the Card. In 2023, Porvasnik earned an improved three top-10 finishes and concluded the season with a career-best 43rd ranking in the Race for the Card. That momentum carried into 2024, and despite being the only athlete of the four to clinch without a win, the Ponte Vedra, Fla., resident's consistent play and five top-10 finishes this season have proven she’s ready to compete on the LPGA Tour next year.

“It's a sign of relief, but there's still more out there,” said Porvasnik. “I mean, bigger and better goals that I have set. So it's a lot of fun, and I just look forward to the opportunity.”

In 2024, the Epson Tour transitioned from a money-based ranking to a points-based ranking to determine which athletes will receive LPGA Tour cards in 2025. Following a similar structure to the LPGA Tour, the season-long Race for the Card sees Epson Tour Members compete for Points in each Official Epson Tour Tournament, with a 30% increased Points value for the Epson Tour Championship. For a full breakdown of the Race for the Card Point System, click here.

Four Athletes Secure LPGA Tour Membership for 2025 Through Epson Tour’s Race for the Card

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