The Epson Tour is back in action this week at one of the mainstay events, the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. The 132-player field is set to take on the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon and it looks to be a stacked field. All three 2024 Epson Tour champions are in the field, to go along with the six former champions of the event.
Take a look at the featured groups as we head into the fourth event of the 2024 season on the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA:
GROUP ONE | 8:47 AM PDT
Alexa Melton
- Melton is making her first appearance in her home state of California since turning professional this week at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. The Epson Tour sophomore missed her first two cuts to start the 2024 season, but has since found her footing, finishing T26 at the Atlantic Beach Classic to close out the Florida swing. The former University of Southern California Trojan has a chance to cement her spot towards the top of the Race for the Card standings with a strong performance at Tukwet Canyon.
Fiona Xu
- Xu, a 2024 Epson Tour rookie, is already making waves early in her professional career. The 19-year-old has made two starts so far this season, finishing inside the top-15 in both events. The 11th place finish at the Atlantic Beach Classic moved Xu up 12 spots in the Race for the Card Standings, where she currently sits at No. 26. The New Zealand native is just another solid performance away from moving up even more and possibly into the top-15.
Briana Chacon
- Chacon is another 2024 Epson Tour rookie who has made her name known quickly. After missing the first two cuts of the season, Chacon put on a display a golf that was unfamiliar to many of her peers, but not to her, winning the 2024 Atlantic Beach Classic. The University of Oregon alum holds the all-time scoring record for the program with a 72.82 over 108 rounds and once the rookie got used to navigating professional golf, the talent took center stage. She would birdie two out of the last three holes to help her capture her first professional victory in Florida. Now, back in her home state of California, Chacon has a chance to be the first player to go back-to-back since Jenny Bae did it in her 2023 campaign.
GROUP TWO | 1:04 PM PDT
Miranda Wang
- Wang is returning to the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa as the defending champion. Wang won the tournament in 2023 with a total score of 12-under par, beating out Natasha Andrea Oon by one-shot. The 25-year-old has gotten off to a decent start in 2024, making the first two cuts of the season on the Epson Tour, as well as, making a cut on the LPGA Tour at the Blue Bay LPGA. Winning the 2023 IOA Championship jumpstarted her season, where she would go on to finish No. 15 in the Race for the Card, falling just five spots short of her LPGA Tour card. With a win this week, Wang would become the first person to win the IOA Championship twice and in back-to-back seasons.
Madison Young
- Young has had a steady start to her 2024 season, making two of three cuts to start her year, including a top-20 finish at the 2024 Atlantic Beach Classic. The 27-year-old recorded a career best 3rd place finish at the 2023 IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, opening the tournament with her joint best round of the season with a 6-under 66. Young has four career top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour, with hopes the 2024 IOA Championship could make it number five.
Sarah White
- White rounds out the featured group and joins Wang and Chacon as an Epson Tour champions. White’s win came in 2020 at the Founders Tribute at Longbow Golf Club as an amateur, where she got in through an exemption from the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour. Since her win in 2020, White has had up and down seasons, including the start this year. The Michigan native seems to have found something in her game at the 2024 Atlantic Beach Championship, posting her best round ever on the Epson Tour with an 8-under 64. Tough conditions on day two derailed White, but do not be surprised if you see her name near the top of the leaderboard come the weekend.
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