For the second time this season, an Epson Tour athlete will try to defend their title. In April, Dottie Ardina returned to the Copper Rock Championship in hopes of getting back-to-back wins in Utah and finished T29. This week, at the Island Resort Championship, Ssu-Chia Cheng will attempt to defend her title at Sweetgrass Golf Club.
“I’m definitely happy to come back here. They [Sweetgrass Golf Club] have one of the best course conditions on our tour all year,” said Cheng. “I love everything there; it’s so pretty up there. I’m looking forward to it.”
The 2022 victory marked the second of Cheng’s career and propelled her to the top of the Potawatomi Cup leaderboard. Thanks to that win in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Chinese Taipei native took home an additional $8,000.
“I’m really grateful for the Potawatomi Cup and what it does for the players,” said Cheng. “It definitely helped a lot for me with the money, but winning the cup also gave me confidence going into the second half of the season."
Cheng has also had success at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, another tournament in which players can earn Potawatomi Cup points. Being a past champion of both events and making the cut at the 2023 edition of the FireKeepers earlier this month gives the Epson Tour veteran a little bit of ease on the course this week.
“I don’t know, maybe Michigan likes me, or the Potawatomi likes me,” laughed Cheng. “I’m definitely feeling great to be coming back and playing these two weeks.”
While she feels comfortable at the Island Resort Championship on Sweetgrass Golf Club’s course, she won’t let the comfort turn into complacency. Making nine of 10 cuts so far this season, Cheng will stick to what she knows as she looks to chase down her third Epson Tour title.
“I’m going to stick to my game plan. I’ve played there a few times before, so I kind of know the course pretty well,” said Cheng. “But I’ll just stick to the game plan.”
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