Recap of Epson Events in Utah and Kansas
I’ve spent the past two weeks on the road traveling to and playing in my second and third Epson Tour events of the season. It has really given me a true look at how competitive it is out here on tour. Both these tournaments were 54 holes, with a cut after 36.
Here’s a summary of how they went…
Copper Rock – Hurricane, Utah
If you read my last post, you’ll know that I started the week off by playing in an LPGA Monday Qualifier in Valencia, California, leaving for Utah as soon as I was done with my 18 hole round to make the 7-hour drive. Hurricane is very close to the entrance of Zion National Park. It’s an absolutely beautiful area. The weather was good, but windy.
Before the tournament, I was able to get in one 18-hole practice round and play the back nine a second time as well. I liked the course a lot. I felt very prepared, despite playing one of my practice round during 30mph winds. I knew I could play well. Both my rounds were fairly consistent, but I did struggle to get my putts to drop.
Over the course of my second round, I was poised to make the cut if I could card another birdie or two. Unfortunately, I had a lost ball on my 16th role and ended up with a double bogey. I shot 74-74 and missed the cut by four. I played steady golf, but it wasn’t enough.
Missing this cut was frustrating but I knew putting was something that I could really focus on between events. I make the 8 hour drive back to San Diego and worked on my putting for the day I had before I needed to leave for my next event, in Garden City, Kansas.
Buffalo Dunes- Garden City, KS
My former teammate, Olivia Benzin, and I each flew to Denver, met up there and made the 5 and a half hour drive to Garden City. (There is a regional airport in Garden City, but it was really expensive to get there. Denver is one of the closest large airports.) This was my first event traveling with someone and it made it much more enjoyable – especially considering we were a long ways from anywhere. We were also lucky to stay with a really nice host family, which saved on meals and lodging costs!
This Epson event is the first of the season that hosts a “full field” which is 144 players. The past events had only 120 players. Every Epson tournament cuts to Top 60 and ties, no matter the field size. I knew that this cut would be more difficult to make, however it being my third event of the season I felt confident in my game.
Olivia and I played two practice rounds and were able to get familiar with the golf course. Round 1 was my best round on tour so far, 3 under par, 69. I was tied for 20th with a handful of other girls. The cut prediction after round 1 was 1 under par. Round 2 didn’t come as easily as my first, but I was able to hang on throughout the day. I had a lot of good saves, but didn’t make any of my birdie putts coming in. I struggled on my final hole and finished with a bogey, shooting 74 which put me tied for the cutline at 1 under par total. My tee time was morning, so I waited, refreshed live scoring all afternoon and watched the cutline move to 2 under as the day went on. Unfortunately, this meant that I missed the cut by one shot.
It was a long drive back to Denver. I know that the disappointment of both these events are a lesson and will help give me the motivation to get better, keep working hard and come back stronger. Unfortunately, the Epson Tour reshuffles the priority list after this event. That means everyone’s status changes based on how they have played so far this season. My ranking will drop after only playing three events – I will not move up because I have missed three cuts and there will be other players who were previously ranked behind me that will move ahead of me. This is very discouraging because it will mean I will probably continue to be on the bubble for other events in the future – not knowing if I am in the tournament until right before. I have been fortunate that I could drive to Morongo and Hurricane, and since they expanded the field in Garden City, I knew I was in that tournament. I find out my new priority number next week, which will determine my entry into the next 6 Epson events.
What’s next?
Assuming my ranking is good enough to get into the next two tournaments, I will be playing May 19-21 and 26-28, both at tournaments in Orlando. In order to avoid really expensive last minutes flights, I purchased my airline tickets last month and I have an AirBNB reservation. It is hard to plan, and hard to budget for the unknown. I am really hoping I get into those.
Right now, I am on my way back to San Diego. I have an off week, and I plan to spend it practicing and thinking hard on what I can do to be better for the next one.
