Less than a year ago, Siyun "Swing" Liu was part of two Epson teams, Epson America and the Epson Tour. After graduating from Wake Forest University, Swing played the 2022 Epson Tour season before joining Epson America as a 2022 fall intern. The 24-year-old was unsure how long her competitive career would last and was looking for a plan B outside of golf, leading her to Epson America. The People's Republic of China native is heading into her first Epson Tour tournament since winning the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in June. The support from the Epson America team was abundant and meant a lot to the second-year player.
"It was really awesome. The team I worked with, I think every single person texted or called me saying 'congrats' and stuff," said Liu. "I get emails saying, 'Oh my god! A top-10, Congrats' so it is not just when I win. It is just nice knowing they are checking on my scores and checking on me. The company culture at Epson America is just very welcoming for everyone."
Now entering the second half of the season at the Hartford Healthcare Women's Championship, Liu is making her first start since her victory and will be aiming for back-to-back wins in her last two Epson Tour starts, but heading into a new event, the expectations are tame for the week.
"There are really not any expectations for this week, if I am being honest," said Liu. "I have never seen this course before, like for other tournaments I have played the courses before, so I know what to expect. This is a challenging course with some really narrow holes. I think I am going to be on the conservative side just to make sure I keep the ball in play and try and make some putts."
For the rest of the season, Liu's primary goal is to earn one of those prized top 10 spots in the Race for the Card standings. Her win in Battle Creek, Michigan, jumped her into the top 20, with 12 events left on the schedule and well within striking distance with a few top finishes to close out her year.
"Moving forward this season, I have my eyes set on the top 10," said Liu. "I am also playing some LPGA Tour Monday Qualifiers to try and get used to playing LPGA-style courses in case I get on tour next year."
Swing also has a few smaller financial goals for her season to go along with her main goal. She will make a very special purchase when she hits a certain amount of money.
"It is really random, but I set little financial checkpoints for myself to get a little more motivation," explained Liu. "Obviously, I want to win, but if I hit a point financially, I am going to buy something I wouldn't normally buy. Like for my next goal, I want to buy a new mattress."
Swing Liu will look to add to her mattress fund when she tees off for her first round at the Hartford HealthCare Women's Championship at 1:33 p.m. ET on Friday, July 14. Follow along at www.epsontour.com for live leaderboard updates.