‘15 NCAA champ, ‘13 U.S. Women’s Amateur champ debuts on Epson Tour next week
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 26, 2016 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, announced that Emma Talley (Princeton, Ky.) will begin her professional career next week at the Fuccillo Kia Championship at Capital Hills in Albany, N.Y. First-round play begins on Friday, June 3 and the final-round is Sunday, June 5.
Talley, the 2015 NCAA individual champion, earned Epson Tour status by completing Stages I and II of 2015 LPGA Qualifying Tournament. She finished T25 at Stage I and T22 at Stage II. She did not compete in Stage III.
“I am super excited to start my professional career,” said Talley. “It has been a dream of mine since I was little and I am excited to see what happens.”
Talley, who first broke on the scene by winning the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, is currently the No. 13 ranked amateur in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). She played on the 2014 U.S. Curtis Cup team and was a Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) First-Team All-American in 2014-15.
She was recently named a Second Team All-American by the WGCA for 2015-16 and became just the second four-time All-American in Alabama women’s golf history joining current Tour player Stephanie Meadow.
Talley has experience playing in LPGA events. She has played in nine tournaments including four U.S. Women’s Open’s. She was the low amateur at the 2014 RICOH Women’s British Open, finishing in a tie for 17th.
Although Talley will have missed the first eight events of the year, she still has goals of finishing inside the top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at the end of the year. There are still 16 events left in the 2016 season including this week in Brockton, Mass.
“I have several goals, but just like everyone else on the Epson Tour I want to get my LPGA card,” said Talley. “It will be hard since I’m starting late, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I am also just looking forward to turning professional and start learning week in and week out about this new stage in my career.”
Talley finished T61 to end her college career at the 2016 NCAA Championships, but is encouraged by her play and ready to begin the next chapter.
“I feel my game is pretty good right now and I had a fun last season in college,” said Talley. “It was bittersweet the way it ended, but our team was ranked number one for the majority of the spring season which was fun and I played pretty consistent this year. I am always trying to improve and work hard.”
Talley joins a field of 144 professionals that will compete for a $125,000 tournament purse. The winner will earn $18,750.
For more information about the Fuccillo Kia Championship, visit http://www.fuccillokiachampionship.com.
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