The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, kicks off the 2016 season this week with the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon from February 19-21. This is the first of 23 events in a season that will culminate with the Epson Tour Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. October 13-16.

First round play begins at 7:15 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 19. All three rounds will begin at 7:15 a.m. Final round play will conclude at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 with the trophy ceremony to follow on the 18th green. Tickets are free to the public all three rounds. On Sunday, the first 100 fans will receive a free Taylormade adjustable hat.

The field consists of 106 professionals and two amateurs vying for a total tournament purse of $100,000. The winner (excluding amateurs) will earn $15,000 and move into the top spot on the first Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 on the final money list will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2017 season.

The field will be trimmed to the top 60 and ties following second round play on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Tour changed the cut line this offseason from the top 70 and ties to the top 60 and ties.

The Epson Tour is back for a second year at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon. In 2015, Katie Kempter rallied with birdies on her final three holes to force a playoff and defeated Lee Lopez on the second playoff hole to earn her first career win. Weather conditions were very tough on Sunday in 2015 as Kempter was the only player, of the 80 that made the cut, to post an under-par (71) round.

This year’s field is diverse with 35 international players from 18 countries outside the United States and 73 players from 22 different states. The field is also strong with 18 LPGA Tour members set to compete. The beginning of the season marks the 36th year that the Epson Tour, which dates back to 1984, has been in existence to prepare the next generation of LPGA Tour stars. Recent Epson Tour stars turned LPGA success stories include Gerina Piller (2010), Mo Martin (2011), Mi Hyang Lee (2012), Jaye Marie Green (2013), Sadena Parks (2014), Cheyenne Woods (2014) and Brooke Henderson (2015), who won the Four Winds Invitational on the Epson Tour and one month later won the Cambia Portland Classic on the LPGA. Two of the all-time greatest LPGA Tour players honed their skills on the Epson Tour - Lorena Ochoa in 2002 and current World No. 2 Inbee Park in 2006.

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