The Epson Tour has reached the sixth tournament of the 2024 season and will play the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week. This is the fourth edition of the event and the first time it has been hosted at The Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale. A share of the $400,000 purse is up for grabs in the desert, with the winner taking home $60,000. Here are some players to keep an eye on as we head into the first 72-hole event of the season:
FEATURED GROUPS
GROUP ONE | RD1 – 8:28 AM MST / RD2 – 1:18 PM MST
Siri Patchana
Patchana is one of six athletes with a local tie to the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic. The Grand Canyon University alum had a decorated amateur career before turning professional and embarking on her Epson Tour journey in 2023. The Thailand native was named three-time All-WAC First Team (2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2020-2021), WAC Freshman of the Year in 2018 and WAC Golfer of the Week in 2021. Additionally, as a freshman, Patchana won the 2018 WAC Championship with a WAC record of 207 (-6). In her rookie year as a professional, she made nine cuts in 17 starts, with a season-best T3 finish at the Guardian Championship.
Ruixin Liu
Liu is one of two past champions competing in this year’s tournament. Following her win in 2021, Liu took home just over $95,000, finishing fifth in the Race for the Card standings and earning LPGA Tour status for the 2022 season. Fast forward to 2024, the People’s Republic of China native has dual status on the LPGA and Epson Tours, allowing her to come back to Arizona and try to become the first player to win the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic twice. So far this season, the 25-year-old has one top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour (seventh at Blue Bay LPGA) and is one-for-one in cuts made on the Epson Tour (Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, T48).
Benedetta Moresco
A 2024 Epson Tour rookie, Moresco has made her name known early on. In just four events, the 22-year-old has made three cuts, recorded a season-best finish of T26 at the Atlantic Beach Classic, and finds herself 65th in the Race for the Card standings. Before turning professional and making her Epson Tour debut, Moresco played collegiate golf at the University of Alabama. She was named First Team All-SEC, SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2022, and Low amateur finisher at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open. With a hot start to the season, Moresco is a name to watch on this week’s leaderboard.
GROUP TWO | RD1 – 12:23 PM MST / RD2 – 7:33 AM MST
Emilee Hoffman
Hoffman is making her third appearance at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic this week, finishing T11 in 2020 and T14 in 2023. The season has been hit and miss for the Scottsdale local, only making one cut in her four starts, but it resulted in one of the best finishes of her career, finishing T3 at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. Even though Hoffman has played well at this event in the past, the 2024 Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic presents a new challenge, with the host course being moved to TPC Scottsdale – Champions Course. The 26-year-old hopes her local ties will help get her another solid finish and get back on track to earn her LPGA Tour card for the 2025 season.
Alena Sharp
Sharp, another Arizona native, has more of a home-field advantage this week than most, residing just 30 miles away. The 43-year-old had dual status on the LPGA and Epson Tours in 2024 and has started her Epson Tour season strong, making her a player to watch. Despite being one-for-two on the LPGA Tour this season, Sharp has remained a competitor on the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA, going two-for-two in cuts made with a T5 finish at the season opener Florida’s Natural Charity Classic and T16 at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic. After playing only two events, while most of her fellow athletes have played five, the Canadian finds herself at No. 28 in the Race for the Card rankings and has a chance to break into the top 15 with a solid performance at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic.
Karen Chung
Chung is looking to get in the winner’s circle in Scottsdale this week. The 29-year-old has 22 top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour since turning professional in 2017 and has played in 37 LPGA Tour events in the same span. Her best career finish on the LPGA Tour came in 2023 at the Dow Championship where she finished T21. Now, Chung is off to a strong start in 2024, playing in three events so far this season, making all three cuts, with a T4 finish at the Atlantic Beach Classic. The veteran is currently 27th in the Race for the Card, just 12 spots away from the coveted top 15. She finished T3 at the 2023 Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic and if she has another week like last year, the top 15 is well within reach.
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