Four Winds Invitational
Blackthorn Golf Club
South Bend, Indiana
June 18, 2014
Storylines

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – The Epson Tour, the Road to the LPGA, transitions to the state of Indiana for the third annual Four Winds Invitational at Blackthorn Golf Club from June 20-22.

The 144-player field will be competing for their share of the $150,000 total purse, the second largest purse on the Tour this year.

First-round play begins on Friday, June 20 and runs through Sunday, June 22.

The winner will receive $22,500 and take a significant step towards a top-10 finish on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, which guarantees full-time LPGA status in 2015.

Last year, Cydney Clanton outdueled Marissa Steen in an epic seven-hole playoff to hoist the trophy. Clanton went onto finish fifth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list and is now playing full-time on the LPGA Tour. Steen, who ranks second on the Volvik Race for the Card money list this year, qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open and will therefore not be in the field this week.

Julia Boland won the inaugural Four Winds Invitational in 2012.

The Four Winds Invitational is the 12th event of 20 total events on the schedule, the most in 13 years. The Epson Tour has grown from a 15-event Tour to a 20-event Tour in one year.

The total purse on Tour this year of $2.25 million is the largest in Tour history.

The Tour is in the midst of a four-week Midwest swing that started in Battle Creek, Michigan two weeks ago. Following the Four Winds Invitational, the swing wraps up at the Island Resort Championship in Harris, Michigan.

STOP TWO FOR THE POTAWATOMI CUP: The Epson Tour unveiled the Potawatomi Cup earlier this year, which awards Epson Tour players a bonus based on performance at events
sponsored by the four Potawatomi nations’ casinos. A total of $40,000 will be awarded, with $8,500 each week, and an additional $6,000 going to the Potawatomi Cup winner.

The incentive based points system will award the top-5 players a cash bonus at each of the following events: the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, the Four Winds Invitational, the Island Resort Championship and the Prairie Band Casino and Resort Charity Classic.

At the first leg of the Potawatomi Cup in Battle Creek, Min Seo Kwak won the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship and received an additional $3,000. Daniela Iacobelli finished second and received a bonus check for $2,500. Jean Reynolds finished solo third and received a check for $1,500. There was a four-way tie for fourth so Caroline Powers, Dawn Shockley, Pinrath Loomboonruang and Kendall Dye each received $375.

Potawatomi Cup Standings
1.	Min Seo Kwak	$3,000
2.	Daniela Iacobelli	$2,500
3.	Jean Reynolds	$1,500
4.	Caroline Powers	$375
	Dawn Shockley	$375
	Pinrath Loomboonruang	$375
	Kendall Dye	$375

The winner of the Four Winds Invitational will receive a check for $22,500 plus a $3,000 check through the Potawatomi Cup.

TWO PLAYERS WITH NOTRE DAME TIES: The Four Winds Invitational will have a local feel with two former Notre Dame golfers in the field.

Becca Huffer and Noriko Nakazaki both played for the Fighting Irish and will compete in the Four Winds Invitational.

Huffer, who played at Notre Dame from 2008 through 2012, has played in six total events on the Epson Tour.

“I’m excited to go back and play in South Bend and I’m looking forward to being back on campus,” said Huffer. “I have never played Blackthorn before so I’m excited to see it; I’ve heard it’s a good course.”

She received a sponsor exemption into the first event of the year and finished in a tie for third at the Visit Mesa Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club.

Due to her strong finish, Huffer has played in four consecutive events since the reshuffle.

“It’s been fun getting out here and playing every week, I have been waiting for that. Hopefully I have a good tournament out there (South Bend), I may put on my Notre Dame hat and try to capitalize on the atmosphere in South Bend.”

Huffer was an All-BIG EAST honoree all four years at Notre Dame. She was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year following the 2008-09 season. As a senior, Huffer led the Irish in scoring average (75.34), rounds in the 70’s (27), top-10 finishes (4) and wins (1). She finished fifth at the BIG EAST Championship in 2012.

“I just loved the overall experience at Notre Dame, I had a lot of fun with my team. Getting to play college golf and be part of the Notre Dame athletic experience was just awesome. I feel like I’m headed back home to my second home.”

Nakazaki, who played at Notre Dame from 2003-2007, was a four-time All BIG EAST honoree. She was also a three-time recipient of the Notre Dame Monogram Club Team MVP.

As a senior, she became the first golfer in program history to qualify for NCAA play as an individual entrant.

15 LPGA PLAYERS IN FIELD THIS WEEK: With the U.S. Women’s Open beginning this week, the Four Winds Invitational will feature 15 players will LPGA status.

Alena Sharp, who won the Visit Mesa Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club, is in the field this week. Sharp has four career top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. Her best finish on the big Tour this year is a tie for 14th at the North Texas LPGA Shootout presented by JTBC. Sharp finished in a tie for sixth last year at the Four Winds Invitational.

Reilley Rankin has 14 career top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. In 2013, she was the recipient of the Heather Farr Perseverance Award.

Nicole Jeray, who has won three times on the Epson Tour, has one career top-10 finish on the LPGA.

Jenny Suh, who won the 2009 Alliance Bank Golf Classic and finished 11th on the Tour money list in 2012, will play in her third Epson Tour event of the year.

A full list of the players with LPGA Tour status is below.

Brittany Altomare
Dottie Ardina
Lindy Duncan
Veronica Felibert
Megan Grehan
Emma Jandel
Nicole Jeray
Maude-Aimee Leblanc
Jane Rah
Reilley Rankin
Alena Sharp
Natalie Sheary
Jackie Stoelting
Jenny Suh
Caroline Westrup

LAST WEEK SHOWS YOU’RE NEVER OUT OF IT: Madison Pressel was having a tough scoring year before this past week at the Decatur-Forsyth Classic.

She ranked 110th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list and had just one under-par round all year entering the tournament.

The Boca Raton, Florida native shot a 5-under 67 on day one, a 1-under 71 in the second round and then an even-par 72 on the final day to win her first professional event. Pressel bested Ashley Tait on the first playoff hole with a 20-foot birdie putt.

She moved from 110th on the money list all the way to 17th. Pressel increased her earnings from $2,126 to $17,126 and is now in reach of the top-10 to get her LPGA Tour card with nine events remaining on the schedule.

Tait, who held a three shot lead on the 17th hole, finished in second place and also made a significant jump up on the money list. She went from 90th to 32nd with her $9,043 paycheck.

Ashley Sholer, who finished in a tie for third, went from 120 on the money list to 48th and Hye-Min Kim, who finished in a tie with Sholer, went from 53rd to 27th.

BIG MONEY WEEK IN SOUTH BEND: The Four Winds Invitational offers the second largest purse on the Epson Tour at $150,000. Only the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic in Greenwood, South Carolina offered a bigger purse at $200,000.

This week, the winner will receive $22,500 compared to last week’s winner’s check of $15,000. Second place this week will receive $14,088, nearly the total of the winner’s share for a $100,000
purse.

Third place will pay out $10,255 whereas last week third place paid out $6,837.

FOUR FORMER BOILERMAKERS IN THE FIELD: There will be four players in the Four Winds Invitational that played college golf at Purdue in West Lafayette.

The four are Kishi Sinha, Laura Gonzalez-Escallon, Maude-Aimee Leblanc and Numa Gulyanamitta.

Gonzalez-Escallon ranks highest on the Volvik Race for the Card money list amongst the Boilermakers. She ranks 15th in her rookie season on Tour after her fourth top-10 (T5) at the Decatur-Forsyth Classic. She was the Big Ten Player of the Year following her 2011-12 junior season.

Leblanc, a first team All-American by Golfweek after her 2009-10 junior season, has dual status on the LPGA Tour and Epson Tour. In her six events on the Epson Tour, she has finished in the top-25 in five of them. Leblanc was recognized as a first team All-Big Ten performer three times.

Sinha, a rookie on the Epson Tour, earned Academic All-Big Ten honors after her junior season in 2011-12. The Delhi, India native has three top-25 finishes including a T21 at the Decatur-
Forsyth Classic.

Gulyanamitta, a three-time first team All-Big Ten honoree, is a rookie on the Epson Tour. Her best finish was a tie for 14th at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship two weeks ago in Battle Creek, Michigan.

SISTER ACT READY TO TEE OFF: Amy and Christine Meier will tee off in a professional event for the first time ever at the Four Winds Invitational.

Christine recently graduated from Michigan State and joined her older sister Amy on the Epson Tour.

Amy, who played college golf at Ohio State and is in her second season on the Tour, had to withdraw from the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, which would have been their first
event together as professionals. She also missed the Decatur-Forsyth Classic.

The Meier sisters are from Rochester Hills, Michigan.

KOKOMO, INDIANA NATIVE CARDWELL IN FIELD: Kristi Cardwell from Kokomo, Indiana is in the field this week at the Four Winds Invitational.

Cardwell was a three-time Kokomo High School golf team MVP and a three-time member of the ALL-NCC conference team. Cardwell was a two-time IHSAA All State honoree.

Cardwell went onto to play college golf for Iowa. She recorded two top-10 finishes and six top-20 results in her 2012-13 senior season.

The 23-year-old is a rookie on the Epson Tour.

FISHERS, INDIANA NATIVE AND BIG BREAKER IN FIELD: Kristi O’Brien, who was a cast member on the most recent Golf Channel reality series Big Break Florida, hails from Fishers, Indiana.

O’Brien is a rookie on the Epson Tour and has played in five events.

LP #1 MIN SEO KWAK: The number one player on the Volvik Race for the Card money list Min Seo Kwak will aim for her third Epson Tour win of the season. She won the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial (Fort Myers) and the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship (Battle Creek, Michigan).

Kwak has five top-10 finishes in nine events played.

She has earned $55,841 and is still on pace to break the all-time Epson Tour single-season earnings record of $94,578 owned by Cindy LaCrosse (2010).

LOCAL EXEMPTIONS: Kari Bellville, who will graduate from Penn High School in Mishawaka in June and attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall, will play in her third Four Winds Invitational.
She was a sponsor exemption each of the last two years.

Bellville recently won the Indiana Golf Foundation Girls State Junior Championship by seven shots.

Julia Potter (Granger) is the second sponsor exemption. She was a 2013 United States Golf Association’s (USGA) Women’s Mid-Am Medalist and Champion. She played college golf at the University of Missouri and won five tournaments. Potter was named to the All Big 12 team three times.

Potter was also a three-time Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) team champion at Penn High School.

The 26-year-old played in nine events on Tour in 2010 with her best finish a tie for 25th at the City of Hammond Classic in Hammond, Indiana.

24 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: The field for the Four Winds Invitational features players from 25 countries including the United States.

There are 12 players from Canada, six from South Korea, three from Australia and three from Thailand.

AGE RANGE: The youngest player in the field this week is Kari Bellville, who just turned 18 on March 6.

The youngest Epson Tour member in the field is 18-year-old Pinrath Loomboonruang.

The oldest two players in the field this week are Nicole Jeray and Angela Buzminski, who are both 43-years-old.

Four Winds Invitational Top Storylines

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