The IOA Golf Classic presented by LPT Realty is going into its tenth year of being an Epson Tour event. The former champions of the IOA Golf Classic have gone on to highly successful careers on the LPGA Tour. The list of champions includes a 2023 Rolex First-Time Winner, a former Epson Tour Player of the Year and a major champion:
GRACE KIM (2022)
Last year's winner, Grace Kim, finished off her 2022 Epson Tour campaign with four more top-10 finishes and got to No. 5 in the Race for the Card standings, securing her 2023 LPGA Tour status. Kim has had a fast start to her rookie season, already grabbing a top-10 finish and picking up her first LPGA Tour victory at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei. The Australian has moved to 78th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and is currently 11th in the Race to the CME Globe. The 22-year-old is handling her rookie season like a veteran and will try to continue her impressive 2023 campaign.
RUIXIN LIU (2018)
Ruixin Liu had one of the more impressive seasons on the Epson Tour in 2018, winning three times on her way to becoming the 2018 Player of the Year. Since her 2018 season, Liu has won three more times on the Epson Tour and has maintained her LPGA Tour Membership in some capacity since 2018. Her time on the LPGA has had its ups and downs, but she most recently represented the People's Republic of China at the 2023 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown. The 24-year-old was selected for the team thanks to her world ranking, a result of her consistent play in 2022, making the cut in 14 of 20 events. Liu will try to carry over that consistency into the rest of the 2023 season.
HANNAH GREEN (2017)
Hannah Green has the longest tenure on the LPGA Tour of the former IOA Golf Classic champions. Since her rookie year in 2018, Green has put together an astounding career. The Australian has 20 career top-10 finishes and three victories, one of which was a major, the 2019 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Green won for the first time since 2019 earlier this season at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. The victory helped move Green inside the top 10 in the Race to the CME Globe and put her 15th in the Rolex Rankings. She’s looking to capture her second career major championship when she returns to the KPMG Women's PGA next month in New Jersey at Baltusrol Golf Club.
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