Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout Presented by Pepsico
Mystic Creek Golf Club
El Dorado, Ark.
Sept. 21, 2015
Storylines

EL DORADO, Ark., Sept. 21, 2015 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, makes its first trip to the state of Arkansas for the inaugural Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout Presented by PepsiCo at Mystic Creek Golf Club on September 25-27.

The top 132 up-and-coming professionals from the United States and around the world will compete for a $100,000 total tournament purse in the 54-hole stroke play format. The winner of the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout will earn $15,000 and take a big step up the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 on the end-of-season money list will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2016 season.

With a mere three events remaining in the chase for 10 available LPGA Tour cards, the gap is narrow between No. 11 Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu (Takamatsu City, Japan) and No. 10 Casey Grice (College Station, Texas), who are separated by just $245. With a victory this week in Arkansas, a player as low as 20th on the money list could potentially move into the top-10.

The field is strong for the inaugural event as nine of the top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list are set to play at Mystic Creek.

The Epson Tour has blossomed over the last year as the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout is one of seven new events on the schedule, that includes 23 total - the most in 27 years.

Play is scheduled to begin on Friday, September 25 at 7:45 a.m. from the first and tenth tees. The final round on Sunday will begin at 8:00 a.m. from the first tee only. There will be a cut to the top 70 and ties after second round play on Saturday.

SIX PLAYERS MAKING SECOND STOP IN ARKANSAS
Six players in the field at this week’s Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout Presented by PepsiCo - Chie Arimura (Kumamoto, Japan), Laetitia Beck (Caesarea, Isreal), Victoria Elizabeth (Dayton, Ohio), Liz Nagel (DeWitt, Mich.), Kristi O’Brien (Fishers, Ind.) and Jackie Stoelting (Vero Beach, Fla.) - competed in the Natural State earlier this season at the Walmart LPGA Classic in Rodgers.

Of the players competing this week, Arimura had the best finish with a tie for 29th. Beck also made the cut and finished 73rd while the remaining four players missed the cut at Pinnacle Country Club.

EPSON TOUR GRAD SHINES IN SOLHEIM CUP
Gerina Piller, who played three full seasons on the Epson Tour from 2008-2010, made quite the impact in Team USA’s victory at the 2015 Solheim Cup in Germany.

Piller went 3-0-1 during the week including a pair of victories while partnered with Arkansas Razorback great Stacy Lewis. Piller’s 9-foot par putt to clinch a singles win over Caroline Masson kept Team USA’s hopes alive and allowed the US to complete a historic comeback to bring the Solheim Cup back to U.S. soil.

Piller finished fifth on the Epson Tour money list in 2010 to earn her LPGA Tour membership. During her Epson Tour career, Piller recorded 13 career top 10 finishes, including six second place results.

SEC! SEC!
This week’s inaugural Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout Presented by PepsiCo will have an SEC flavor to it as 18 competitors are alums of schools that compete in the Southeastern Conference, including both sponsor exemptions Amanda McCurdy (Arkansas) and Ally McDonald (Mississippi State). Below is the list of players who competed collegiately in the SEC.

Golfer	School
Ashleigh Albrecht	Kentucky
Hannah Collier	Alabama
Kathleen Ekey	Alabama
Lindsay Gahm	LSU
Natalie Gleadall	Ole Miss
Megan Grehan	Vanderbilt
Katy Harris	LSU
Haley Italia	Ole Miss
Ashley Knoll	Texas A&M
Meghan McChrystal	LSU
Amanda McCurdy	Arkansas
Ally McDonald	Mississippi State
Mia Piccio	Florida
Jenna Pearson	South Carolina
Erica Popson	Tennessee
Jean Reynolds	Georgia
Emily Tubert	Arkansas
Kendall Wright	Georgia

FOUR OF 10 2016 LPGA TOUR CARDS ARE LOCKED UP
With their solid showings at last week’s Garden City Charity Classic a pair of golfers, Dani Holmqvist (Stockholm, Sweden) and Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Florida), locked up their spots in the top-10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.

The duo joins Giulia Molinaro (Treviso, Italy) and Annie Park (Levittown, N.Y.) as players who have secured their LPGA Tour cards for 2016.

Holmqvist, Hurst and Molinaro are all in the field at this week at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout Presented by PepsiCo.

HURST EXCITED TO BE HEADING BACK TO LPGA
Vicky Hurst’s victory at last week’s Garden City Charity Classic was enough to secure her full LPGA Tour membership for the 2016 season.

“I’m very excited, I’m a little bit relieved too because we only have three tournaments left and if it wasn’t here, it (finishing in the top 10) would only get tougher and tougher,” said Hurst about locking up her card. “I’m really proud of myself for playing well this week and the last couple of months and I’m looking forward to next year.”

The 25-year-old started her year on the LPGA and once her status dwindled, she decided to focus on earning her full card back through the Epson Tour.

“The road back has been tough, anyone that plays professional golf knows,” said Hurst. “Last year, I had a little rut in my game and to be able to improve from that and build something positive this year has been huge. I’m excited to be heading back to the Tour and play with the big kids again.”

Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout Presented by Pepsico Top Storylines

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