FORSYTH, ILLINOIS, August 11, 2016 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, returns to action with the 32nd annual Decatur-Forsyth Classic Presented by Tate & Lyle and Decatur Park District at Hickory Point Golf Course from August 12-14. The Decatur-Forsyth Classic begins a stretch of eight tournaments in ten weeks to conclude the 2016 season. The tournament was first played at Hickory Point Golf Course in 1985.

The top 144 aspiring LPGA Tour stars from the United States and 26 countries around the globe will compete for an increased purse of $130,000. The winner will earn $19,500 and more importantly move up the Volvik Race for the Card money list. With just eight events left in the season, each dollar earned is significant. The top ten on the final money list after the Epson Tour Championship from October 13-16 will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2017 season.

First-round play begins on Friday, August 12 at 7:30 a.m. from the first and tenth tees. The final-round is Sunday, August 14 and play will begin from the first tee only in groups of two. The estimated finishing time is 3:45 p.m. and the trophy ceremony will follow on the 18th green. There will be a cut to the low 60 and ties following second-round play on Saturday.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE READY FOR DEBUT: Mariah Stackhouse, a 4-time All-American at Stanford, will make her Epson Tour debut and second professional start this week.

“I’m really excited to be in Decatur, I think it will be a fun event,” said Stackhouse, who was about to go play in the pro-am. “I’ve been able to reconnect with friends that have been out here all year. I’m excited to go see the course this afternoon, it looks like a friendly walking course, it’s pretty and the grass is in good condition.”

Stackhouse turned professional following the NCAA championships, where Stanford finished runner-up, and then made her debut at the LPGA’s Cambia Portland Classic. She hasn’t played in a competitive event since the final-round in Portland on July 3rd.

“I’ve just been practicing week in and week out,” said Stackhouse. “I’ve been working with my trainer and grinding on chipping and putting and hitting. I’ve had a lot of time to hone in and clean things up. Now, it’s August and I’m not thinking about going back to school. It is a new beginning.”

Stackhouse will play in four other Epson Tour events. She is not putting any expectations on herself.

“I just want to get out here and put some good rounds together,” said Stackhouse. “My game is in a good place right now. I’m excited for the opportunity to hit some good shots and see if I can get it rolling on the greens.”

ALLIE WHITE WINS OHIO WOMEN’S OPEN LAST WEEK: If you’ve ever seen Allie White (Lancaster, Ohio) at a Epson Tour event, you know she wears hats with “Ohio Farmer” on them. Last week, she made her state proud by winning the Ohio Women’s Open in a playoff over fellow Epson Tour professional Olivia Jordan-Higgins. White made par on the first playoff hole to claim the win.

“It was cool to win in Ohio where I am from,” said White, who finished second at the Ohio Women’s Open two years ago. “I really wanted the win.”

White flew from Kansas City to Columbus, Ohio and then drove to Defiance and got to her hotel at 3:30 a.m. on Monday, the first day of the tournament. The travel nightmare turned out to be well worth it.

“I’ve been chasing this for a while because I won the state high school championship, which was the last tournament I ever won in 2010,” said White. “I also won the junior amateur so I had to complete the trifecta.”

White earned $6,000 for winning the Ohio Women’s Open.

“I hit this low point at Tullymore (Classic) and then I missed an LPGA Monday Qualifier and then I read a Vision 54 book about not being so result oriented and it has helped me,” said White. “It has helped me to just play golf because I had all these goals this year and I was just not getting them. Once I let go, it has been a lot less stressful to play golf.”

White shot a 72-70 to win at the very challenging Eagle Rock Golf Club.

The Decatur-Forsyth Classic will be White’s last event of the year as she is starting the fall semester of graduate school at Ohio University, where she is the graduate assistant women’s golf coach.

White said she plans on continuing her professional golfing career in 2017.

OF NOTE

There are two 2015 Epson Tour graduates that will compete in the 2016 Olympics next week. Giulia Molinaro, representing Italy, and Alejandra Llaneza, representing Mexico, both earned their LPGA cards through the Epson Tour last year. Brooke Henderson, who won the Four Winds Invitational last year, will compete for Canada.
If Ally McDonald (No. 2) or Jackie Stoelting (No. 3) wins or finishes second this week, they will cross over $80,000 in earnings. It would be the first time in Tour history that two players earn over $80,000 in a single-season. No. 1 Madelene Sagstrom has earned $123,678 this season.
Four Illinois natives play in the morning wave on Friday: Samantha Postillion (Burr Ridge, 7:30), Jaclyn Jansen (Effingham, 7:52 tenth tee), Nicole Jeray (Berwyn, 9:20 tenth tee) and Ember Schuldt (Sterling, 9:31).

Decatur-Forsyth Classic Thursday Pre-Tournament Notes

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