Epson Tour Championship presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
LPGA International, Jones Course
Daytona Beach, Florida
October 16, 2015
Friday Tournament Notes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., October 16, 2015 - Su Oh (Melbourne, Australia) posted a season-best 7-under 65 on Friday to grab the 36-hole lead at the Epson Tour Championship at LPGA International. Oh is 12-under 132, one shot clear of Catherine O’Donnell (Ponte Vedra, Florida) and Cydney Clanton (Concord, North Carolina). Oh ranks 87th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list and therefore is not mathematically in contention for an LPGA Tour Card, but a win could get her an exemption into the Final Stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

The list of players outside the top 10 still alive to earn a card has been narrowed from 12 to 11 as No. 16 Caroline Westrup (Baerum, Norway) missed the cut. Inside the current top ten, No. 6 Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Florida) and No. 9 Augusta James (Bath, Ontario) missed the cut. The other seven players
inside the top 10 in the field will play over the weekend.

The players on the bubble closest to the top include No. 13 Lindy Duncan (Jupiter, Florida) at 7-under, No. 15 Maude-Aimee Leblanc (Sherbrooke, Canada) at 6-under and No. 12 Brianna Do (Lakewood, California) at 5-under. All three head into the weekend in the top 11 on the leaderboard.

19-year-old Oh, a Tour rookie, started with a birdie on one and midway through the front nine reeled off four birdies in five holes between four and eight to make the turn at 10-under. She made birdie on 11 and 18 to close at 12-under.

“I hit the ball really well and not a lot of things went wrong,” said Oh, who has 13 birdies against just one bogey through 36 holes. “I think I left a lot out there despite having a really good round so hopefully I’ll pick up some more on the weekend.”

Oh said her putting was the key to the round. She needed just 28 putts on Friday and 26 on Thursday when she posted a 5-under 67.

Last week at the IOA Golf Classic, Oh tallied her first top 10 finish of the season with consecutive rounds in the 60’s. In her first 27 rounds of the season, she recorded just two total rounds in the 60’s.

“I didn’t have a great start to the year on the Epson Tour, but I hit the ball really well last week,” said Oh. “I have the rest of this week and then Q-School next week so hopefully I can keep it going.”

Oh advanced to Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament in 2014, but finished in a tie for 70th and did not earn LPGA Tour status. At the start of the 2015 season, she won the RACV Australian Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour.

Oh his criss-crossed the world as a rookie with starts in Australia, the Epson Tour and three LPGA Tour major championships - U.S. Women’s Open, RICOH Women’s British Open and the Evian Championship.

“It’s been a really fun experience this year,” said Oh. “I played the Australian series early and then came here and then went to play two majors in Europe. I went home and then came back here so I have kind of been all over the place. I’m learning a lot of things traveling the United States, I’ve been to a lot of places I never thought I’d go. It has been a cool experience with my dad just road-tripping around.”

NO. 13 LINDY DUNCAN MOVES INTO HUNT: Lindy Duncan (Jupiter, Florida) had an uneven day one with four birdies and four bogeys for an even-par 72 on Thursday. She rebounded with a bogey-free 7-under 65 on Friday to move from a tie for 37th to sixth. The 65 is tied for the lowest round of her season. She also posted a 65 last week at the IOA Golf Classic in the second round.

“It was a great day, I stayed patient and tried my best to be focused and play one shot,” said Duncan. “I also got some putts to go in.”

Duncan hit only 10 of 18 greens on day one and hit 15 of 18 greens on Friday.

“I’ve been putting well and working a lot on my speed and I figured if I could just hit more greens I would have some birdie chances and that was the difference.”

Duncan ranks 13th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list and is just $1,999 outside the top 10.

“It has been a great year, I’ve learned a lot just playing so many tournaments,” said Duncan, who won the 2012 NCAA individual title at Duke. “I’ve really learned to manage my game on the road and that was my goal.”

Duncan’s final goal is to earn an LPGA Tour card for 2016.

“This week is stressful, but it is a great position to be in because if you play well you have a chance,” said Duncan. “I’ve worked for the LPGA for a long time and I’m just happy that my game continues to get better each and every year.”

NO. 15 LEBLANC IN CONTENTION FOR CARD: Maude-Aimee Leblanc (Sherbrooke, Canada) bounced back from an opening round 73 with a second round 65 to climb back into contention at the Epson Tour Championship.

“I just made more putts. That’s about it,” Leblanc said. “I was hitting good yesterday and I knew that if I stayed patient today that’s all that I needed to do.”

Leblanc, who currently sits 15th on the Volvik Race for the Card Money List, registered six birdies and an eagle against a lone bogey on her 7-under round.

“It’s the only course all year where I don’t have to hit a 3-iron off of the tee so I love it,” Leblanc explained. “This course I can take advantage of the par-5s and it’s the course where I can hit the most drivers all year so I love it. I like to be able to take advantage of my strengths.”

The Purdue grad currently sits $7,505 back of 10th on the money list and needs a top-4 finish to have a shot at earning her 2016 LPGA Tour Card.

“I like the game plan that I have so far so I’m just going to stick with it,” Leblanc said. “I know that I need a top-4 finish so I know where I’m standing but all I can control is what I’m doing on the course.”

WEEKEND PROJECTIONS FOR 8-15: Here are projections (estimates) of where eight through 15 on the money list would land based on if the tournament ended on Friday. Note that No. 14 Jimin Kang withdrew from the tournament on Monday.

Player	Earnings	Standing	Projected Earnings	Projected Position
8. Casey Grice	$54,501	-1 143 (T37)	$1,438	$55,939 (8)
9. Augusta James	$53,077	+6 150 (MC)	$0 ($53,077)	$53,077 (12)
10. Rachel Rohanna	$52,314	-3 141 (T23)	$1,643	$53,957 (10)
11. Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu	$51,594	-2 142 (T32)	$1,122	$52,716 (13)
12. Brianna Do	$51,037	-5 139 (T11)	$2,463	$53,500 (11)
13. Lindy Duncan	$50,315	-7 137 (6)	$5,189	$55,504 (9)
15. Maude-Aimee Leblanc	$44,809	-6 138 (T7)	$3,705	$48,514 (14)

PROJECTIONS FOR 11-23 ON TRYING TO EARN A CARD: Here is a look at what players 11-23 must do in order to have a chance to earn a card. The minimum finishes assume that the players in the top 10 don’t earn additional money. The projections also assume payouts for solo finishes. Keep in mind that No. 10 on the money list has currently earned $52,314.

Player	Earnings	Min. Finish	1st Rd.	2nd Rd.	Place
11. Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu	$51,594	47th	+1 (73)	-3 (69)	T32
12. Brianna Do	$51,037	31th	E (72)	-5 (67)	T11
13. Lindy Duncan	$50,315	18th	E (72)	-7 (65)	6
14. Jimin Kang (Withdrew)	$46,612	5th
15. Maude-Aimee Leblanc	$44,809	4th	+1 (73)	-7 (65)	T7
16. Caroline Westrup	$44,243	3rd	+5 (77)	-1 (71)	MC
17. Madeleine Sheils	$43,418	3rd	+1 (73)	-1 (71)	T45
18. Chie Arimura	$43,410	3rd	E (72)	-1 (71)	T37
19. Samantha Richdale	$40,701	2nd	-2 (70)	-1 (71)	T23
20. Brittany Benvenuto	$39,577	2nd	E (72)	+3 (75)	T68
21. Brittany Altomare	$33,518	Win	-2 (70)	-4 (68)	T7
22. Katie Kempter	$33,094	Win	E (72)	-4 (68)	T18
23. Dottie Ardina	$30,129	Win	E (72)	E (72)	T45

Aussie Teen Su Oh Leads Epson Tour Championship

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