Epson Classic
Raintree Country Club
Charlotte, N.C.
Storylines

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 18, 2015 – The Epson Tour, the Road to the LPGA Tour, will wrap up its Carolina Swing, a three tournament in three week stretch, at the Epson Classic. The three-round event will begin on Thursday, May 21, and run through Saturday, May 23, at Raintree Country Club.

The 144 player field will be competing for a share of a $110,000 purse with a top prize of $16,500. The top-10 on the year-end Volvik Race for the Card money list will receive their LPGA Tour cards for the 2016 season.

There will be a cut to the top 70 and ties following second round play on Friday, May 22.

The Epson Classic has been a part of the Epson Tour’s schedule since 2009. Prior to moving to Charlotte in 2012, it was played at The Dominion Country Club in San Antonio, Texas from 2009 to 2011.

In 2014, Mallory Blackwelder shot the low round of the final day, a 5-under 67, to post 10-under for the tournament and capture a two-shot victory over Emily Talley for her first win on the Epson Tour. The victory propelled Blackwelder into the top-10 on the Volvik Race for the Card and helped her earn her LPGA Tour card for the 2015 season.

Past champions
2014 - Mallory Blackwelder*
2013 - Laura Kueny*
2012 - Mi Hyang Lee*
2011 - Lisa Ferrero
2010 - Paola Moreno
2009 - Allison Hanna-Williams
* - champion when event was held in Charlotte

STRONG FIELD WITH 21 LPGA MEMBERS: There are 21 players with LPGA Tour status competing this week at the Epson Classic.

The list includes six players (Chie Arimura, Karlin Beck, Cydney Clanton, Victoria Elizabeth, Jennifer Kirby and Alejandra Llaneza) who competed in the LPGA’s Kingsmill Championship last weekend.

OLYMPIC HOPEFULS IN FIELD: The 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and in 2009 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that golf would be added. There are several Olympic hopefuls that play regularly on the Epson Tour.

A total of 60 women will compete in the Olympic Games. The International Golf Federation has guaranteed that a minimum of one golfer from each geographic region will qualify.

As of today, there are three players in the field who would be representing their countries in Rio. Below is the list.

Epson Tour Player	Country	Ranking
Alejandra Llaneza	Mexico	47
Brianna Do	Vietnam	58
Veronica Felibert	Venezuela	59

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Below are three players to watch heading into the Epson Classic.

Brianna Do - Do ranks third on the Volvik Race for the Card Money List thanks to playing some of the most consistent golf on Tour. In her seven events played, Do has made all seven cuts and has five top-10 finishes including a pair of runner-ups. Do’s most recent runner-up finish came last weekend at the Mission Health Wellness Classic in Asheville.

Daniela Iacobelli - Iacobelli is coming into Charlotte ranked 10th on the Volvik Race for the Card Money List on the heels of five straight top-15 finishes. Iacobelli had her best week of the year in the Mission Health Wellness Classic when she finished tied for second.

Casey Grice - Grice heads to Raintree after a pair of top-10 finishes on the Carolina swing. Grice finished solo second at the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic and a tie for eighth at the Mission Health Wellness Classic. The back-to-back top-10s have vaulted Grice up to seventh on the Volivk Race for the Card Money List.

2012 CHAMP MI HYANG LEE MAKING HER MARK ON THE LPGA: The first player to win the Epson Classic after its move to Charlotte in 2012, Mi Hyang Lee, has grown into one of the rising stars on the LPGA Tour.

Lee captured her first LPGA victory at the Mizuno Classic in 2014 and currently ranks 41st in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Thus far in 2015, Lee has a pair of top-10 finishes and has accumulated $195,259, good for 26th on the LPGA’s money list.

Top Storylines for the Epson Classic

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