The Epson Tour rolls back into Milwaukee for the fourth annual PHC Classic at Brown Deer Park Golf Course. Tournament play begins on Friday, August 10 with the final round scheduled for Sunday, August 12.
The field of 156 players from the United States and around the globe will compete for a $100,000 total purse and a spot in The Evian Championship, the fifth and final major on the LPGA Tour schedule. This is the third year a Epson Tour tournament has served as an official U.S. qualifier for The Evian Championship.
Eight of Top 10 on Money List to Compete
The field is loaded this week as eight of the top 10 on the current Volvik Race for the Card money list are scheduled to compete including No. 1 Dottie Ardina, who has three runner-up finishes in seven starts. Ardina has accumulated nearly $60,000 without the benefit of a win. Of the top 20 on the money list, 18 are in the field.
Wisconsin Born and Bred
The Badger state will have four players to cheer for this week at the PHC Classic – Allyssa Ferrell (Edgerton), Jessie Gerry (Madison), sponsor invites Jenna Peters (Kohler) and amateur Bobbi Stricker (Madison). Stricker having earned the final sponsor invitation with a two-stroke victory at the Badger Mutual Insurance Women’s Amateur event held in late July.
Gerry is a University of Wisconsin grad while Stricker is a rising sophomore. Ferrell competed collegiately at Michigan State, and Peters played collegiately at Butler University.
Looking for Win #2
With Kendall Dye capturing the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY, there has still not been a multiple winner in 2018. Besides Dye, there are nine more winners in 2018 that are in the field this week in Wisconsin looking to become the first two-time winner this season. Winners include IOA Championship champion Stephanie Meadow, IOA Invitational winner Elizabeth Szokol, Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic champion Vicky Hurst, Valley Forge Invitational winner Louise Ridderstrom, Four Winds Invitational champion Maia Schechter, Island Resort Championship winner Ruixin Liu, Prasco Charity Championship champion Muni He, Donald Ross Classic winner Stephanie Kono and Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic champion Eun Jeong Seong.
By this same point in the schedule of the 2017 season, Nanna Koerstz Madsen had won three times. Her first victory came at the Epson Classic in April, her second of the season at the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY in June, and her third coming in week fourteen at the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic at French Link in July.
No. 2 Meadow Rides Strong Play into Milwaukee
Volvik Race for the Card No.2, Stephanie Meadow, has posted 27 rounds at or under-par heading into the PHC Classic. Of the 27 rounds, 25 are under par. Her last over par round was on July 14 in the final round of the Donald Ross Classic at French Lick Resort.
Meadow has seven top 10 finishes in 13 starts and ranks sixth on Tour in scoring average (70.71).