It’s an Epson Tour alum party at the top of the Blue Bay LPGA leaderboard, with all three of the athletes sharing second having ties to the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA. With only 18 holes remaining in the tournament and the trio being just two strokes back of third-round leader Rio Takeda at 7-under overall, the likelihood of an Epson Tour alum coming out on top is high.

Gigi Stoll, Auston Kim and Cassie Porter are the three athletes who find themselves tied for second. Stoll carded the lowest round of the three on Moving Day, posting a 4-under, 68 on Saturday after getting off to a hot start with birdies on her first three holes. The Epson Tour alum had a couple of blips toward the end of her round, going double bogey-bogey on the 14th and 15th holes, respectively, but she closed her round the way she started it – with three birdies.

“The putter has been hot,” said Stoll. “Definitely got off to a really good start birdieing the first three. Some stuff happened in the middle, but it was nice to close with three as well. So just trying to keep that putter hot, stay in the moment, and enjoy it.”

Florida native Kim put a double bogey and four birdies on her third-round scorecard, three of which came in her first three holes, and worked hard to keep herself in contention. She’ll continue to do that until the last putt drops on Sunday.

“This is why I work so hard,” said Kim. “To be in contention every single week, so I'm really enjoying it.”

But, unlike her counterparts, this is not Kim’s first time contending for a title on the LPGA Tour. The 2023 Epson Tour graduate made her LPGA Tour debut in 2024 after earning membership through the Race for the Card rankings and found her first career top-10 finish at the 2024 LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei last November when she finished solo third at Hoakalei Country Club.

A win on Sunday would mark Kim’s first LPGA Tour victory, but it would not be the first time she’s found herself in the winner’s circle as a professional, as the now 24-year-old won in her last Epson Tour appearance at the 2023 Epson Tour Championship.

Rounding out the trio at T2 is 2025 LPGA Tour rookie Cassie Porter. Like Kim, Porter also graduated via the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card rankings, earning the 10th of 15 LPGA Tour cards available in 2024.

Saturday’s round was up and down for the Aussie, who carded five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey. The double came on the par-3 4th hole, and Porter had to battle back to even-par for the day to remain in contention.

“Playing in the wind is a whole different kettle of fish, especially when it's like this and the greens are this tricky,” said Porter. “So being able to deal with that and fight back the way I did is really important, and I am proud of that.”

The 22-year-old made her LPGA debut at the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands, ultimately missing the cut and walking away from her first start disappointed. But now in just her second career start, she has the chance to win it all, hinting at the possibility of a long career ahead on the LPGA Tour.

Only time will tell if an Epson Tour alum walks away with the Blue Bay LPGA trophy and follows in the footsteps of 2024 winner Bailey Tardy. Stoll and Kim are off in the final group at 11:22 a.m. local time on Sunday in the People’s Republic of China, while Porter will tee it up in the penultimate group at 11:11 a.m.

Three Epson Tour Alums At Top of Leaderboard at Blue Bay LPGA

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