Epson Tour Championship presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
LPGA International, Jones Course
Daytona Beach, Florida
October 14, 2015
Wednesday Pre-Tournament Notes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., October 14, 2015 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, is in Daytona Beach for the final event of the 2015 season. The Epson Tour Championship presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University starts on Thursday, October 15. With nine months of competition and 22 events in the books, 10 players will earn coveted LPGA Tour cards after the final round of play on Sunday.

The top 108 up-and-coming professionals from the United States and 17 countries around the globe will compete one final time for a $150,000 total tournament purse. The winner will earn $22,500 and could jump into the top 10 depending on their current standing on the money list.

First-round play begins on Thursday, October 15 and the four round event concludes on Sunday, October 18. There will be a cut made to the top 70 and ties following second round play on Friday. This is the fifth 72-hole event of the season, which is up from just two a year ago. Play will begin at 8:00 a.m. all four days. A split tee start will be used on Thursday-Saturday and a single-tee start will be used on Sunday.

On Monday afternoon, No. 14 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, Jimin Kang, withdrew from the field citing personal reasons and therefore 20 players are now vying for eight spots instead of 21.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE NO. 10 ON MONEY LIST: Although it might sound like a precarious position, Rachel Rohanna (Waynesburg, Pa.) doesn’t mind being No. 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. That said, she is well aware that players are lurking behind her.

“I’ve never felt more prepared because I’ve had 20-plus events to get me warmed up for this one,” said Rohanna. “I told myself that I need to be in striking distance of the top 10 to get an LPGA Card and I couldn’t be in a better position right now.”

With the money so tight between No. 8 and No. 13, Rohanna needs a good finish to stay inside the top 10.

“I would definitely prefer being No. 10 over No. 11, but I know that the players in 11-13 are playing some good golf right now,” said Rohanna. “I had a missed cut last week, but I’m playing some really good golf and I love this course so I’m feeling pretty confident.”

“I’m not looking behind me (on the money list), I’m seeing how far I can move up this week.”

Rohanna posted back-to-back rounds of 67 last year at the Epson Tour Championship and was tied for the 36-hole lead. She faded a bit over the weekend, but still closed in a tie for seventh.

“I definitely know what I am capable of on this course,” said Rohanna. “At the same time, I know the scores are going to be low, especially for those in and around the top 10 so I don’t want to press anything.”

Rohanna has played in six career LPGA Tour events, but never with LPGA Tour status.

“I feel like I have some experience playing on the big stage in LPGA events and at the U.S. Women’s Open, but getting my full card and not having to stress Monday Qualifying would be huge,” said Rohanna. “I need one more good week and I feel prepared to play on the LPGA.”

The final week could be extra special as Rohanna will have her dad on the bag.

“It’s fun to have him on the bag, it’s pretty special,” said Rohanna, who won the Guardian Retirement Championship with her dad on the bag. “I know my dad wants one more win, but I said ‘let’s just have one more good finish’.”

MORE THAN TOP 10, A CHANCE TO SKIP Q-SCHOOL 2: Players outside the hunt for the 10 spots on the Volvik Race of the Card money list still have a lot to play for this week at the Epson Tour Championship.

Outside of the trophy and paycheck, players will be competing to skip the Second Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament, which takes place next week in Venice, Fla.

According to LPGA guidelines, the top-15 players from the official Epson Tour year-end money list (in order of their position on the list) who do not earn LPGA Tour status via the Volvik Race for the Card and are not otherwise qualified for Stage III will be able to bypass Second Stage and move directly to the Final Stage, which takes place in Daytona Beach at LPGA International in December.

With the $22,500 first prize, every player in the field has a mathematical chance to finish high enough on the money list to earn the exemption into Stage III.

OF NOTE: The winning 4-day total last year was 10-under 278 for three players who went to a playoff. Megan McChrystal won in 2013 with a score of 13-under 275 and Daniela Iacobelli won in 2012 with a score of 11-under 205. It was a 54-hole event in 2012. The single-round tournament record is 8-under 64, set by Jackie Stoelting in the final-round last year.

Epson Tour Championship presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Pre-tournament Notes

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