The Epson Tour is witnessing unprecedented growth that is both tremendous and scary at the same time. In one respect, it’s great to see more events, higher purses and players shattering records. In another light, it also means that the Tour has its hands full to continually raise the bar. The status quo is just not good enough anymore.
The 2016 season will go down as the most competitive, successful and groundbreaking in the history of the Tour to date. Here are some nuggets to chew on:
- Three players – Madelene Sagstrom ($167,064), Ally McDonald ($110,359) and Jackie Stoelting ($97,886) - all broke the previous single-season earnings record which was set back in 2010 by Cindy LaCrosse ($94,578). Obviously, Sagstrom and McDonald became the first players in the history of the Tour to cross $100,000.
- The growth year-over-year is really eye opening when you consider that #1 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2015, Annie Park ($68,673), would have finished 10th on the money list in 2016.
- The 2016 season marked the first time in Tour history that the entire top 10 earned over $65,000. For perspective, #1 on the money list in 2013 (P.K. Kongkraphan) earned $47,283, which would have been good for 18th on the money list this year.
- There were five events that featured a purse of $200,000 or more – the most in Tour history. For perspective, there were no $200,000 events in 2013.
Times are clearly changing.
In addition to the increased earnings and payouts, the play on course was impressive. Sagstrom clearly stole the show from literally the first round of the season when she carded a 64 in Beaumont, California. She went onto record three wins and 12 top ten finishes in 15 starts. Nobody in the history of the Epson Tour has ever tallied 12 top 10 finishes in a single-season. Coming out of college at LSU, Sagstrom was ranked No. 1074 according to the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (7/19/15). She now ranks No. 216 in the world.
One of the things you hear on Tour is that it’s becoming harder-and-harder to win. Ally McDonald is the perfect argument for that. She had truly one of the greatest seasons in Tour history, but didn’t win. If Sagstrom didn’t do what she did, everyone would be talking far more about McDonald. She had eight top 10 finishes (including four 2nd place results) and finished inside the top 20 in 15 of her 18 starts. That’s just ridiculous golf. She was second in scoring average, fourth in greens in regulation and sixth in putts per GIR. McDonald improved her world ranking from No. 608 to No. 242.
First-year players were a huge story this year. In addition to Sagstrom and McDonald, the Tour witnessed the arrival of Wichanee Meechai to the United States and the consistent play of Dana Finkelstein, Nelly Korda and Peiyun Chien. Six of the final top 10 were all playing their first full seasons on the Epson Tour. Of the top 15 players on Tour in 2016, nine were first-year players.
The more veteran players were also heard from loud and clear, led by Jackie Stoelting, who won twice and proved to herself that she loved the sport still. It’s not easy to get knocked off the mountain top and climb back up. Marissa Steen also had to do that. She was the Tour Player of the Year in 2014 and struggled on the LPGA in 2015 (in part due to three cracked ribs), but was at peace with the process of coming back to the Epson Tour. Steen totaled nine top 10 finishes on the year.
Nelly Korda, 18, generated buzz around the Tour at the start of the season when she turned professional and at the end of the season when she finished T6 to jump into the top 10 to earn a Tour card and join her sister on the LPGA. On the final day, as Nelly was lining up a birdie putt on hole 17, her playing partner Kristy McPherson, a longtime LPGA Tour member, came up to a Tour staffer and asked where Nelly stood. She also whispered “I like her a lot, she can play”.
The competition was fierce. A total of 17 different players won the 22 events (23rd event was cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew). Of the 17 players that won, only seven earned a Tour card. That is a real indication that earning a Tour card truly demands more than just winning a tournament. That said, you’ve really got to feel for Clariss Guce, who won twice and unfortunately finished 11th. Consistency is the key word and when you inspect the results of Guce, you also find seven missed cuts, which ultimately led to her falling $1,004 short of a Tour card.
The average winner's score this year was 69.7 this year, which is up a touch from years past, but the Tour made a concerted effort to make the golf course more challenging and LPGA-level so that’s a good thing. Ten of the 22 events saw the winner’s total score in double-digits.
The last event of the year might be the best example of how tough the competition was. Nicole Broch Larsen, who in a playoff.
The Tour saw an influx of top players from around the world coming to play the Epson Tour in 2016. There were five different nations represented in the top 10 and nine countries amongst players in the top 20 (Sweden, United States, Thailand, Belgium, Taiwan, Philippines, Canada, Germany, Denmark). It is all starting to mirror the LPGA Tour.
If Stage II of Qualifying Tournament is any indication, the global nature of the Epson Tour is going to continue. Of the 84 that advanced to Final Stage, 29 different countries are represented.
Let the trend continue. Here’s to a record breaking 2017 season.
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